November 8, 2012 (TSR-Xinhua) – Hu Jintao said on Thursday that China will continue to carry out reform of the political structure, but the country will never copy a Western political system.
“We must continue to make both active and prudent efforts to carry out the reform of the political structure, and make people’s democracy more extensive, fuller in scope and sounder in practice,” Hu said in a keynote address at the opening of the CPC’s 18th National Congress.
Hu said the CPC should place high importance on systemic building, give full play to the strength of the socialist political system and draw on the political achievements of other societies.
“However, we will never copy a Western political system,” he said.
Stressing the unity of the leadership of the Party, the position of the people as masters of the country and law-based governance, Hu said the CPC should place greater emphasis on improving the way the Party exercises leadership and governance to ensure that it leads the people in effectively governing the country.
“We should attach greater importance to improving the system of democracy and diversifying the forms of democracy to ensure that the people conduct democratic elections, decision-making, administration and oversight in accordance with the law,” he said.
The CPC should give greater scope to the important role the rule of law plays in the country’s governance and in social management, uphold the unity, sanctity and authority of the country’s legal system and ensure that the people enjoy extensive rights and freedoms as prescribed by law.
KEY QUOTES
Chinese leader Hu Jintao delivered a report on Thursday at the opening of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The following are key quotes from his report:
On Scientific Outlook on Development
— The most important achievement in our endeavors in the past ten years is that we have formed the Scientific Outlook on Development and put it into practice.
— This theory provides new scientific answers to the major questions of what kind of development China should achieve in a new environment and how the country should achieve it.
— Together with Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development is the theoretical guidance the Party must adhere to for a long time.
On socialism with Chinese characteristics
— We must unswervingly follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
— Our overall approach is to promote economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress, and our general task is to achieve socialist modernization and the great renewal of the Chinese nation.
On building moderately prosperous society
— We need to have a correct understanding of the changing nature and conditions of this period, seize all opportunities, respond with cool-headedness to challenges, and gain initiative and advantages to win the future and attain the goal of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020.
— An examination of both the current international and domestic environments shows that China remains in an important period of strategic opportunities for its development, a period in which much can be achieved.
— On the basis of making China’s development much more balanced, coordinated and sustainable, we should double its 2010 GDP and per capita income for both urban and rural residents.
— To complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, we must, with greater political courage and vision, lose no time in deepening reform in key sectors and resolutely discard all notions and systems that hinder efforts to pursue development in a scientific way.
On economy
— Taking economic development as the central task is vital to national renewal, and development still holds the key to addressing all the problems we have in China.
— The underlying issue we face in economic structural reform is how to strike a balance between the role of the government and that of the market, and we should follow more closely the rules of the market and better play the role of the government.
— We should firmly maintain the strategic focus of boosting domestic demand, speed up the establishment of a long-term mechanism for increasing consumer demand, unleash the potential of individual consumption, increase investment at a proper pace, and expand the domestic market.
— We should give high priority to rural areas in developing infrastructure and social programs in the country.
On political structure reform
— We must continue to make both active and prudent efforts to carry out the reform of the political structure, and make people’s democracy more extensive, fuller in scope and sounder in practice.
— We should place high importance on systemic building, give full play to the strength of the socialist political system and draw on the political achievements of other societies. However, we will never copy a Western political system.
On improving people’s wellbeing
— We should keep making progress in ensuring that all the people enjoy their rights to education, employment, medical and old-age care, and housing so that they will lead a better life.
On ecological progress
— We must give high priority to making ecological progress and incorporate it into all aspects and the whole process of advancing economic, political, cultural, and social progress, work hard to build a beautiful country, and achieve lasting and sustainable development of the Chinese nation.
On military modernization
— Building strong national defense and powerful armed forces that are commensurate with China’s international standing and meet the needs of its security and development interests is a strategic task of China’s modernization drive.
— We should attach great importance to maritime, space and cyberspace security. We should make active planning for the use of military forces in peacetime, expand and intensify military preparedness, and enhance the capability to accomplish a wide range of military tasks, the most important of which is to win local war in an information age.
On Taiwan
— We are ready to conduct exchanges, dialogue and cooperation with any political party in Taiwan as long as it does not seek Taiwan independence and recognizes the one-China principle.
— We hope that the two sides will jointly explore cross-Straits political relations and make reasonable arrangements for them under the special condition that the country is yet to be reunified.
— We hope the two sides will discuss the establishment of a cross-Straits military security confidence-building mechanism to maintain stability in their relations and reach a peace agreement through consultation so as to open a new horizon in advancing the peaceful growth of these relations.
On foreign affairs
— China will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development and firmly pursue an independent foreign policy of peace.
— We are firm in our resolve to uphold China’s sovereignty, security and development interests and will never yield to any outside pressure.
— We will decide our position and policy on an issue on its own merits and work to uphold fairness and justice.
— China is committed to peaceful settlement of international disputes and hotspot issues, opposes the wanton use of force or threat to use it, opposes any foreign attempt to subvert the legitimate government of any other countries, and opposes terrorism in all its manifestations.
— China opposes hegemonism and power politics in all their forms and will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion.
On Party building
— Combating corruption and promoting political integrity, which is a major political issue of great concern to the people, is a clear-cut and long-term political commitment of the Party. If we fail to handle this issue well, it could prove fatal to the Party, and even cause the collapse of the Party and the fall of the state.
— Leading officials at all levels, especially high-ranking officials, must readily observe the code of conduct on clean governance and report all important matters. They should both exercise strict self-discipline and strengthen education and supervision over their families and their staff; and they should never seek any privilege.
