Marching with Time, Engaging in Exploration and Innovation: Editorial

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 08, 2002

Marching with Time, Engaging in Exploration and Innovation: Editorial

The People's Daily newspaper runs an editorial Friday, November 8, warmly hailing the opening of the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing. Following is the full text:

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CHINESE

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The 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China eagerly expected by the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups of the country is solemnly opened today in Beijing. We express our warm congratulations on its opening!

The 16th CPC National Congress is the first National Congress held by our Party in the new century, as well as an extremely important Congress held at the time when China has entered the new development stage of comprehensive construction of a better-off society and acceleration of the drive for socialist modernization. The Congress will hold high the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory, comprehensively implement the "three represents" important thought, conscientiously sum up the five-year work since the 15th CPC National Congress, summarize the basic experiences gained by the Party in the great practice of uniting and leading the people of all ethnic groups of China in the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics since the launch of reform and opening-up drive, particularly since the Fourth Plenary Session of the 13th CPC Central Committee, make strategic arrangements for the new great project of comprehensively advancing China's reform, opening up and socialist modernization drive and comprehensively pushing forward Party building in the new century and new stage of development, elect a new central leading body and further mobilize the whole Party and the people of the whole country to emancipate the mind, seek truth from facts, advance with time, engage in exploration and innovation and wage a united struggle to create a new situation for the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The five years since the 15th CPC National Congress are five years in which the hundreds of millions of Chinese people have been united in the brave advance in the reform, opening up and socialist modernization drive and in exploration and innovation, five years of victorious advance through overcoming various kinds of difficulties and risks, and five years of comprehensively advancing the new great project of Party building and having scored great successes in this regard. China has initially established a socialist market economic structure, achieved sustained, rapid and sound development of the national economy and comprehensively advanced socialist democracy and the construction of a legal system and the building of a civilization with high cultural and ethical levels, brought about a vigorous development of various undertakings, increasingly enhanced its international status and augmented its international influence on a daily basis. Socialist China is glowing with vitality and vigor, the Chinese nation displays a brand-new mental outlook to the world.

The 13 years since the Fourth Plenum of the 13th CPC Central Committee have witnessed the changeable international situation and the rolling process of China's reform, opening up and socialist modernization drive, the third-generation central collective leadership with Comrade Jiang Zemin at the core, holding aloft the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory, has united and led the whole Party and the people of all ethnic group of China, unswervingly adhered to the political line since the Third Plenum of the 11th CPC Central Committee, calmly coped with the difficulties and risks coming from various aspects, as a result, historic breakthroughs have been achieved in the reform and opening-up drive, China's overall national strength has experienced a big leap, the great cause of the peaceful reunification of the motherland has achieved major progress and a historic leap from being well-fed and well-clad to a relatively comfortable life has been realized as a whole in people's living standards, thus opening up a completely new situation in the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. The tremendous achievements scored in these 13 years will surely go down in the glorious history of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The valuable experiences accumulated over the past 13 years are of far-reaching significance in guiding the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, the hundreds of millions of people are elated and inspired by, and the comrades of the whole Party are filled with a sense of pride in, the one great victory after another won by our Party and State in reform, development and stability over the past 13 years.

With the arrival of the new century, China has entered a new development stage of comprehensively building a well-off society and accelerating the drive for socialist modernization. Basing himself on the new changes in domestic and international situations, and in light of our Party's historical experiences, Comrade Jiang Zemin has put forward the important thought of the "three represents", this important thinking has given a fundamental answer to the essential question concerning what kind of a party the CPC is to build up itself and how will it accomplish this task under new domestic and international conditions and in the 21st century which is full of challenges, reflecting the new demands set by the development and change of today's world and China on the work of our Party and State. Consistent adherence to the "three represents" is the foundation of our Party, the base of administration and the source of strength. The "three presents" important thought is an inheritance and development of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory, and a powerful theoretical weapon for strengthening and improving Party building and advancing the self-improvement and self-development of socialism in China.

Unswerving and comprehensive implementation of the important thought of the "three represents" makes it possible for our Party to always stand in the front ranks of the development of the times and to constantly enhance its creative power, cohesive force and combat effectiveness, and for our country to always maintain stability and strong vitality and to successfully realize the third-step strategic goal for the socialist modernization drive. Under the guidance of the important thought of the "three represents", when we persist in advancing with time, our Party's theoretical line, principles and policies and various items of work will be able to give full expressions to the requirement for the development of our times and to the interests of the masses of the people, and our Party will be able to scientifically grasp the law governing the administration of the Communist Party, the law of socialist construction and the law of the development of human society, to comprehensively build a well-off society, push forward socialist modernization and create a new phase in the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The Party is the key to the comprehensive construction of a well-off society as well as to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Party shoulders the hopes of the people, and the people pin their hopes on the Party. The Party must firmly stand on the van of the tide of our times to unite and lead the people of all Chinese ethnic groups to realize and advance modernization, accomplish the three major historical tasks for the reunification of the motherland, defense of world peace and promotion of common development and to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on the road toward building socialism with Chinese characteristics. This is the solemn mission entrusted to our Party by history and the times.

The 16th CPC National Congress, that is the focus of the concern of the whole country and the attention of the whole world, is of major significance and far-reaching influence. The 2,100-plus delegates coming from various fronts will certainly be able to live up to the expectations and great trust of the over 66 million members of the whole Party and the 1.2 billion people of the entire country and to undertake the solemn mission entrusted to them by history and the times, carry on the past and open up a way for the future, advance with time and make the 16th CPC National Congress a gathering of unity, victory and heroic advance.

We wish the Congress a complete success!

By People's Daily Online

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