Landmark resolution charts path
Experts hail CPC plenum as it reviews nation’s development journey, adopts historic declaration
Aand key Party meeting has adopted a landmark resolution on the major achievements and historical experience of the Communist Party of China’s endeavors in the 100 years of its glorious journey, urging all Party members to stay true to the Party’s founding mission to better uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
The four-day sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, which ended on Nov 11 in Beijing, also adopted a resolution on convening the 20th CPC National Congress in the second half of next year in Beijing. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a work report at the meeting on behalf of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
He also explained the draft of the resolution on the major achievements and historical experience of the CPC’s 100 years of endeavors.
Reflecting on the major achievements and historical experience of the Party is essential in embarking on the new journey of comprehensively building China into a modern socialist country and upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, said a communique released after the meeting.
It is also important to advance the Party’s self-reform, improve its ability to cope with risks and challenges, always maintain its vigor and vitality and continue to unite and lead all of the Chinese people to strive to realize the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation, the communique said.
All Party members should fully understand from the CPC’s 100 years of endeavors why it was successful in the past and how it can continue to succeed in the future, it added.
Meeting participants reflected on the great achievements the Party has made in the country’s new-democratic revolution, socialist revolution and construction, reform and openingup as well as socialist modernization process.
Core leader
They stressed the significance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in advancing the cause of the Party and the State, and said the Thought is the Marxism of contemporary China and of the 21st century.
“It embodies the best of the Chinese culture and ethos in our times and represents a new breakthrough in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context,” the communique said.
The meeting highlighted Xi’s core position on the CPC Central Committee and in the whole Party, saying that it demonstrates the common will of the Party, the armed forces and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups.
Jiang Jinquan, head of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee, told a news conference in Beijing on Nov 12 that the whole Party now has an anchor, the entire Chinese people now have a backbone and the giant vessel of China’s rejuvenation has a helmsman by firmly upholding and safeguarding Xi’s core position.
It would be unimaginable for the Party, which boasts more than 95 million members, and China — which has 56 ethnic groups and 1.4 billion people — to be without a core figure in its central leadership, Jiang said.
Jiang hailed Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the Marxism of contemporary China and for the 21st century, saying the Thought represents the essence of Chinese culture and China’s spirit, and will provide a scientific guide to action for national rejuvenation.
China’s whole-process people’s democracy is the most wide-ranging, genuine and effective socialist democracy and has guaranteed the rights of the people in running the country, Jiang said. He went on to say that democracy is not a patent held by Western nations and should not be defined by the West.
Democracy in some Western countries, Jiang said, is “in fact dictated by capital”, and represented power plays by capitalist groups. It is “a ‘democracy’ for the rich, not true democracy”, he added.
He said it was a great irony for the United States to convene a Leaders’ Summit for Democracy next month even with the mounting issues facing such models of “democracy”.
At the news conference, Qu Qingshan, head of the Institute for Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, hailed the significance of the resolution passed at the plenum. The touchstone resolution is a programmatic Marxist document and a political declaration for the CPC to remain firm to its original aspirations and missions and uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, Qu said.
Experts worldwide hailed the resolution adopted at the CPC plenum, saying that it will lead China to greater success in the next century.
“The CPC has made tremendous achievements in its 100 years of history and is ready to lead the Chinese people into the future,” said Gennady
Zyuganov, chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
Salman Bashir, a former foreign secretary of Pakistan and former ambassador to China, said that under Xi’s leadership, China is well positioned to become an economically prosperous, militarily strong and beautiful country.
“This communique is a further illustration of the working of people’s democracy, which is unique to China and has no parallels with political parties and governance systems in other countries,” he said.
Dennis Munene, executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute, said that under Xi’s leadership, China is committed to lifting people out of poverty and helping them become prosperous in the shortest time possible, and also fueling a push toward national rejuvenation.
Development model
Ronnie Lins, director of the ChinaBrazil Center for Research and Business, described the resolution adopted at the session as “landmark”.
Mustafa Hyder Sayed, executive director of the Pakistan-China Institute said “China’s unique development model” has ensured “rapid development and economic growth, while maintaining social harmony and stability”.
During the plenum, participants hailed what the Party has achieved since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012 in the fields of Party building, economic growth, reform and opening-up, ecological conservation, cultural and social progress, national defense and foreign affairs, as well as in promoting law-based governance, safeguarding national security and upholding the policy of “one country, two systems” and advancing national reunification.
“We uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus. We firmly oppose separatist activities seeking ‘Taiwan independence’. We firmly oppose foreign interference. We have maintained the initiative and ability to steer cross-Straits relations,” the communique said.
The meeting required all Party members to “have a precise grasp of historical trends, stand firm in our ideals and convictions, and stay true to our Party’s founding mission”, guard against arrogance and rashness, not be intimidated by any risks or led astray by any distractions.
In the new development stage, efforts should be made to apply the new development philosophy, foster a new development paradigm and promote high-quality development, said the communique.
While underlining the importance of deepening reform and expanding opening-up across the board, the participants in the meeting stressed the need to promote common prosperity for all, and build up the country’s strength in science and technology.
A total of 197 members and 151 alternate members of the CPC Central Committee attended the meeting. Members of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and leading officials of other relevant departments, some grassroots representatives who were delegates to the 19th CPC National Congress, along with experts and scholars, attended the meeting in a non-voting capacity.