Editorial: Great Advancement in the New Century

Our Daily publishes an editorial titled "Great Advancement in the New Century" Thursday to laud the closure of the 5th Plenary Session of the 15th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

The editorial says that the session was convened at a historical moment when the country is to reach its goals set for the 9th Five-Year Plan (1996-2000), and the reform and opening up, and the modernization drive will enter a new stage.

It says that the session, under the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory, has reviewed both domestic and international situations and examined and passed the central committee's Proposal for Formulating the 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-2005) for National Economic and Social Development. Jiang Zemin delivered an important speech at the plenum.

The proposal forms a blueprint for the country's development in the 2001-2005 period, and fully reflects the aspiration of the Party and the people as a whole, it says.

The editorial says that the proposal is the guideline that will lead the nation to advance in the new century, and the editorial calls on all the party members to keep their attitudes in line with the spirit of the meeting.

It says that China's productive forces have improved remarkably after 20-odd years of reform and opening up and rapid development, and the socialist market economic system has gotten off to a strong start.

China has achieved its strategic goals in the first two stages of the modernization drive, and in the new century the country will build a well-to-do society in an all-around way.

According to the editorial, between 2001 and 2005, the national economy will maintain a fast growth rate and the strategic readjustment of the economic structure will bear noticeable results.

It says that in the coming five years the country will lay a solid foundation that will enable the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to be doubled in 2010 over the 2000 figure. And major progress should be made in introducing the modern enterprise mechanism into state-owned enterprises, the social security system be fairly sound and a substantial step be made in improving the socialist market economic system.

It notes that the country will participate more fully and deeply in the international economic cooperation and competition, and achievements will be also made in increasing employment, raising urban and rural residents' income, enriching their cultural life, environmental protection, science, technology and education, democracy and the legal system as well as in other fields.

The theme of the 10th Five-Year Plan, as the proposal noted, is to take economic development as the central task and to seize opportunities to speed up development.

The modern world is facing economic globalization and intensive international competition. China will have no right to speak in the international arena if its productive forces develop too slowly.

The editorial says that strategic adjustment of the economic structure should be done at the most opportune moment. A rationally structured economy can improve the quality of economic growth and motivate further development.

Renovation in management systems and in the field of science and technology will serve as a powerful engine for China's economic development. The article reaffirms that the market-oriented reform and the strategy of invigorating the country by relying on science and education must be carried out without any hesitation.

The editorial calls for continued efforts to improving the people's living standards, saying that this is the focal points of the Party's work and the key to correctly handling the relations among reform, development and stability.

It says that socialist ethical and cultural progress, and socialist democracy and the socialist legal system should be further promoted for concerted economic and social development.

The rule of law should be implemented. A legal education among all people, officials in particular, should be deepened to strengthen people's awareness of law.

Party building will be comprehensively strengthened as the Communist Party of China is the key to scoring victories in the future. And the anti-corruption battle will be continued.

The article expresses confidence in China's ability to reach its goals with the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory, the correct leadership of the Party Central Committee with Jiang Zemin at the core, and efforts from over 60 million Party members and 1.2 billion Chinese people.



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