Holding High Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

"The whole Party must, by unswervingly holding high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, leading people in proceeding from the new historical starting point and seizing and capitalizing on the crucial good opportune time, be realistic and determined to make progress, continue to build a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, speed up socialist modernization and fulfill the noble mission the age has entrusted China," Comrade Hu Jintao said in his political report to the 17th National Congress.

Delegates to the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) have during their panel discussions spoke highly of the report Hu Jintao delivered at the ongoing Party Congress on behalf of the 16th CPC Central Committee. The common consensus is that the report has enunciated in an in-depth way the extreme importance of the adherence to and development of socialism with Chinese characteristics to the development of the cause of the CPC and voiced the Party's firm will and faith in leading the people nationwide in their continuous advance along the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a great creation of Chinese Communists on the issue of socialist construction and a major theoretical and practical outcome in their protracted process of exploring the path for the development of socialism in China by integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with the practice of contemporary China and characteristics of the times.

The First Generation of Collective Leadership with Mao Zedong, the founder of both CPC and new China, at the core led the whole party and the people of all ethnicities for the fulfillment of the socialist transformation and the establishment of the basic socialist system after new China was founded in 1949, and laid a vital, crucial basis for the ensuing explorations.

After the Third Plenum of the 11th CPC Central Committee convened in Dec. 1978, the CPC's 2nd generation collective leadership with Deng Xiaoping at the core established the basic line for the primary stage of socialism, founded Deng Xiaoping Theory and opened up the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics by emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts.

Following the Four Plenum of the 13th CPC Central Committee , the 3rd generation central leading collective with Jiang Zemin at the core, holding high the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory, adhering to the reform and opening-up and keeping pace with the times, founded the important thought of "Three Represents" and prompted the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics to ride on the crest of a wave and make rapid headway along the correct orientation.

Since the Party's 16th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Hu Jintao as its general secretary, taking the Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of "Three Represents" as its guidance, set forth such major strategic ideas as the Scientific Outlook on Development, continued to advance the great cause of reform and opening to the outside world in the process of building a relatively prosperous society in an all-round way.

Delegates to the Party Congress in their panel discussion ascribed all the progress and achievements China has scored since the launch of its reform and opening-up in the 1970s to the socialist road with Chinese characteristics and the theoretical setup of socialism with Chinese characteristics. So the adherence to this road and this theoretical setup is the most cardinal thing in holding up the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

In present-day China, the adherence to the socialist road with Chinese characteristics means truly upholding socialism, whereas the adherence to the theoretical setup of socialism with Chinese characteristics means genuinely upholding Marxism. Those CPC delegates from the philosophy and social sciences circle to the ongoing Party Congress acknowledge that socialism with Chinese characteristics originates from the country's practice of socialist construction, reform and opening-up, and so it represents the inexorable outcome of history and the choice of people. The socialism with Chinese characteristics, imbued with vivid and lively Chinese hallmarks, represents the absolute correct path for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as well as a scientific theory for people in China to spur socialist modernization.

Brand-new chapter

CPC Delegates reviewed the course of development over the past five years, which they cited as "extraordinary." In this five-year period, the Party Central Committee with Hu Jintao as the secretary general has, combining inheritance and innovation, theory with practice and the present period with the future era, strode ahead with firm steps in the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Social practice has no limit, nor does innovation. Opportunities are indeed rare and invaluable, and challenges unprecedented since the first two decades of the new century is a crucial, opportune period of time for China's development. Then, how can the Chinese nation seize the vital strategic opportunity and bring about its great rejuvenation "once in a blue moon"?

Since the 16th CPC National Congress in late 2002, the Party Central Committee, inheriting and developing the important thought of the 3rd generation central leading collective, accurately keeping to the global development trend and conscientiously summing up China's development experience, set forth the scientific outlook on development and other relevant concepts, found answers for a host of major issues on developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new situation, and enriched the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Persistent efforts have been made in taking economic construction as the center and putting the construction of a harmonious society at a prominent position so that the overall, "three in one" arrangement for socialism with Chinese characteristics, namely economic construction, political construction and ethical or moral integrity development, has explicitly given way to the "four in one" arrangement, that is, economic construction, political construction, ethical or moral integrity development, and social development.

A series of theoretical viewpoints, strategic concepts and vital policy-decisions have vividly recorded the great process the central Party authority with Hu Jintao as the general secretary has led the people of all ethnicities nationwide in continuously opening the new situation with the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. And Chinese Communists have proceeded to and are going on to write this brand-new chapter.

Matchless Might

China has made mammoth achievements in its modernization drive with tremendous progress scored from all spheres along the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It has greatly increased its overall national strength, and raised its international status (or prestige) with an obvious improvement in the livelihood of its people. Moreover, the nation has forged even much closer ties with the outside world.

China, with an average annual economic growth rate of 9.7 percent attained in the past 29 years, had fulfilled the first two "steps" of the "three-step" development strategy for its modernization program by the end of the 20th century. In 2006, its gross domestic product (GDP) exceeded 20 trillion yuan (about 2.67 trillion US dollars), ranking the fourth in the world; its overseas trade reached 1,760.7 billion US dollars, ranking the third globally; and its foreign exchange (Forex) reserve exceeded one trillion US dollars, taking the lead around the globe.

At present, China is marching vigorously along the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics as a great country and, as a great nation with a ancient civilization, it is working harder still with a sense of pride and confidence for a brighter and more splendid tomorrow.

(www.people.com.cn)