Hu Jintao Marks the 90th Anniversary of the Communist Party of China

By staff reporter JIAO FENG

ON July 1, Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, delivered a keynote speech at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, marking the 90th anniversary of the CPC. Hu traced, illustrated, and expounded on the CPC's accumulated experience, its current challenges and coping strategies, and its goals for future development. According to expert analysis, the main thrust of the speech was to concentrate on several strategic fronts: appointing people on their merits and valuing young talent, governing for the people and highlighting employment and livelihoods, and persisting with strict measures to combat corruption through adherence to the values of the Party.

Representing the People's Interests

Hu summed up the core of the CPC's mandate, "The people will care about and feel close to the Party only when the Party feels the same toward them."

Hu mentioned the word "people" many times in his speech, such as: "The Party comes from the people, takes root among the people and serves the people; that ensures its invincibility." To promote social development, the Party will focus on ensuring and improving the people's wellbeing, and make special efforts to solve the most practical problems and immediate concerns that are utmost in people's minds. It will guarantee that all the people have equal access to basic public services, make more efforts to regulate income distribution, pursue prosperity for all, and strive to ensure that everyone enjoys the right to education, housing, employment, and medical and old-age care.

According to political scientist Lin Shangli, vice president of Shanghai-based Fudan University, China is a people's democratic state. The power belongs to the people, who have placed great trust in the CPC to lead the people and wield state power in their name. The mission of the CPC is to serve the people, creating conditions for a happy life and overseeing a national rejuvenation. To govern such a country, the CPC must adhere to this people-oriented approach and devote itself to maintaining, representing and fulfilling people's fundamental interests.

Zhang Xixian, a professor from the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, noted the shift from "build a party serving the interests of the people" which dominated previous speeches to "putting people first and governing for the people" in this latest speech. This subtle change of emphasis reveals a new angle on the CPC's concept of what it means to be in power and specifies further people's political status in the governance structure. That in turn explains the heightened importance of ensuring people's rights and interests and the role of the people in the historical development.

Building the Cadre Corps and Training "New Blood"

At the grand assembly, Hu said, "To make Party building more scientific under new historical conditions, we must recruit people on their merits without regard to their origins, and adhere to the criterion of evaluating cadres in terms of both political integrity and professional ability, with priority given to integrity." Yu Kejie, an expert on political parties with China Foreign Affairs University, believes that this statement ushers in a new era, that the CPC is making fresh talent outreach and cadre team building the new propellers of its future development. With respect to social development, he explained, the corruption issue arose within the Party and had an impact on its working style. Therefore, while regulations define and govern the conduct of cadres, it is also necessary to raise moral standards.

Professor Zhang Xixian commented that the principle of "recruiting people on their merits without regard to their origins" demonstrates a more open approach to talent-hunting. The speech stressed that the whole Party should adhere to such major policies out of respect for skills and innovation, which are of strategic significance to the CPC in the long run.

Apart from stressing the building of a cadre talent pool in his speech, Hu Jintao mentioned the training of young talent. He pointed out, "The whole Party must care about young people, listen to what they have to say, encourage their growth, and support their entrepreneurship," as well as "ensure that capable people emerge in great numbers so that everyone can put their gifts to best use."

Young people are the future of the country, the hope of the nation, the trailblazers, promoters and defenders of the CPC cause. Therefore, strengthening the training of young talent is directly related to the development of the Party, Yu Kejie said. He also pointed out, considering their lively minds and vigorous and dynamic nature, accelerating plans to train young people is also of great significance to the CPC and China.