Party Congress Concluded with New Central Committee Elected

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 15, 2002

Party Congress Concluded with New Central Committee Elected

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16th CPC Central Committee Elected

The week-long 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) ended Thursday morning, after the elections of the 16th CPC Central Committee and a new Central Commission for Discipline Commission (CCDI), and adoption of three resolutions.

The 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was elected. The new CPC Central Committee is composed of 198 full members and 158 alternate members.

In the meantime, a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection was also elected, which is composed of 121 members.

Some 180 out of the 356 members and alternate members of the new CPC Central Committee are new faces, sources said. Some of the members are CEOs and chairmen of China's huge enterprises, a signal that the Party embraces Jiang Zemin's "Three Represents" idea and begins to include professional business managers in its top decison-making body.

Closing Session of 16th CPC National Congress Begins

The committee now looks much younger, with the average age of the committee members being 55.4 years old. More than 20 percent of the members and alternate members of the new central committee are under the age of 50.

Moreover, delegates approved the report of the 15th CPC Central Committee, the work report of the CCDI and an amendment to the Constitution of the CPC with Jiang Zemin's important thought of Three Represents written into it. The "Three Represents" thought calls for the Chinese Communist Party to represent the development trend of China's advanced social productive forces, the orientation of China's advanced culture, and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people of China.

Addressing the closing session, Jiang Zemin described the Party Congress as a great success, saying it was sure to encourage all CPC party members and the Chinese people to further push forward socialist modernization.

Jiang Zemin not on New Party Central Committee

Jiang Zemin and five of his colleagues in the Party's top decision-making body are not on a new central committee of the CPC elected Thursday morning.

His five colleagues are: Li Peng and Zhu Rongji, both 74, Li Ruihuan, 68, Wei Jianxing, 71, and Li Lanqing, 70.

Vice President Hu Jintao, 59 years old, was the only member of the current 7-man Central Committee Politburo Standing Committee members, who was re-elected to a new five-year-term central committee. Only committee members can be on the Politburo Standing Committee, so this is the first official confirmation that President Jiang Zemin, 76, is retiring as Party chief.

With warm applause, more than 2,100 delegates to the congress showed their respect for and appreciation of Jiang and his colleagues for the "breadth of their political vision and sterling integrity."

As is customary, a new CPC central committee will hold its first plenary session on the day following the conclusion of a CPC national congress. The plenum will elect the CPC central committee general secretary, members of its political bureau and members of its political bureau's standing committee, of a new term.

According to the CPC Constitution: the political bureau, the standing committee of the political bureau and general secretary of the CPC central committee shall be elected at a plenum of the central committee; and the general secretary shall be chosen from among the political bureau standing committee members.

In the last 13 years, the third-generation leadership of the CPC, with Jiang at the core, has led the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in making universally acknowledged achievements in reform, economic and social development, maintenance of stability, foreign affairs, national defense, and administration over the Party, the state and the armed forces.

The years, which have been recognized as a "period of great prosperity," have seen a remarkable rise in China's overall national strength, a marked improvement of people's living standard, social stability and unity, a distinctive increase in China's international influence and greater national cohesion.

Observers here say that the smooth generational change of the CPC leadership marks the maturing of the biggest ruling party in the world with a history of 81 years and demonstrates the advancement of political civilization in China. It is bound to have a positive, far-reaching significance for China's long-term prosperity and stability.

By People's Daily Online

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Full Text of Resolution on CPC Central Committee Report

Full Text of Resolution on Amendment to CPC Constitution

List of Members of the 16th CPC Central Committee

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