China's Communist Party to boost culture construction

BEIJING - The importance of promoting culture, both domestically and internationally, was placed center stage at a key leadership meeting.

A pledge was made to boost China's cultural influence internationally and provide the sector with more resources domestically at a plenary session of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, which ended on Tuesday.

President Hu Jintao addressed the meeting, which opened on Saturday.

In a guideline endorsed at the conference, the leaders stressed that China is facing an imperative need to boost its "cultural soft power" and enhance the global image of its culture.

Culture is emerging as an important part of the country's comprehensive competitiveness, according to a communiqu released at the end of the meeting.

The country should not only provide its people with an ample material life, but also a healthy and rich cultural life, the document said.

"Culture has increasingly become a major element bringing together the people and the creative power of the Chinese nationality," the communiqu said.

"It is a major factor in the nation's comprehensive competitiveness as well as the backbone of the country's economic and social development.

"It is the aspiration of our people to enrich their spiritual and cultural lives."

The communiqu also announced that the CPC will convene its 18th national congress in the second half of 2012.