China to Put Deng Xiaoping Theory into Constitution China is to add Deng Xiaoping Theory into its Constitutional Law in a bid to enhance the legal position of the Theory when the deputies discuss amendments of the Constitution during the upcoming Second Plenary Session of the Ninth NPC to convened on March 5. According to a proposal submitted by the CPC Central Committee to the just ended 7th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Ninth NPC, a total of six major revisions will be made to the Constitution. One of the most important amendments is to put "Deng Xiaoping Theory" and "develop a socialist market economy" into the Preface of the Constitution, according to the proposal. In addition, the phrase "is currently" in the sentence of "China is currently in the primary stage of socialism" in the Preface will be revised into "will be over a long period of time". The proposal was discussed at the 7th meeting of the Ninth NPC Standing Committee and became a bill of the NPC Standing committee, and the bill will be submitted to the upcoming Second Session of the Ninth National People's Congress. This marks the third time China revises its Constitution since it was adopted in 1982. China made amendments to part of the Constitution in 1988 and in 1993. Other important amendments will be made under the guidelines of "ruling the country by law" and "developing a socialist market economy". According to the proposal, the following will be added to the original articles: In Article 5, "the People's Republic of China should implement the principle of ruling the country by law, governing the country according to law and making it a socialist country ruled by law" will be added. Contents to be added in Article 6 is, "in the primary stage of socialism, the country should uphold the basic economic system in which the public ownership is dominant and diverse forms of ownership develop side by side, and it should also uphold the distribution system with distribution according to work remaining dominant and a variety of modes of distribution coexisting." At the meantime, "rural collective economic organizations should carry out the two-tier operation system that combines unified management with independent management on the basis of the household responsibility contract system with remuneration linked to output" will be added to Article 8. Amendments in Article 11 will be: "Non-public sector comprising self-employed and private businesses within the domain stipulated by law is an important component of the country's socialist market economy", and "The country should protect the legitimate rights and interests of self-employed and private enterprises, and the country should also exercise the guidance, supervision and management over them according to law." According to the proposal, the wording of "counter-revolutionary activities" in Article 28 will be changed into "crimes endangering the state security". Analysts here believed that the amendments to be made to the Constitution is the quintessence of Deng Xiaoping Theory and the most successful experience China has gained in its reforms and opening-up drive over the past two decades. Tian Jiyun, member of the CPC Central Committee's Political Bureau and member of the CPC Central committee's group on revision of the Constitution told the NPC Standing committee meeting that the principle in revising the Constitution is that "we will only make amendments that are deemed necessary and relevant conditions are ripe." The revision group is led by Li Peng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee. Li commented on the draft amendments saying the additions which were already affirmed in the report of the 15th National Congress of the CPC in late 1997 have proved to be "completely correct" in practice, and should be part of the nation's Constitution. He said that "timely and meticulous amendments to the Constitution will make it better meet the needs of reality and help maintain the authority of the Constitution." Such revisions, after adoption, shall have "far-reaching influences upon the development of the socialist market economy and the construction of a socialist democratic political system, and will generally advance the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics," the top legislator said. The lawmakers approved the decision to submit the draft to the NPC plenary session with 124 approvals, no objection and one abstention. The majority of legislators agreed that the proposed amendments to the Constitution are necessry and in line with the desires of all the Chinese people.