China to Adhere to Patriotic United Front in New Century

Our Daily carries an editorial December 4 congratulating the opening of a national working conference on the United Front policy of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The editorial is headlined "The United Front Is An Important Guarantee for the Accomplishment of the Three Top Tasks in the New Century."

The conference will clarify the current situation and tasks for the United Front, sum up its achievements and experience, reinforce and improve the Party's leadership over the United Front, mobilize the whole Party to join efforts in opening up a new situation for the United Front in the new century, the editorial says.

The United Front has always been closely linked with the CPC, which is 80 years old, and it has remained a magic weapon for the success of China's revolution, economic drive and reforms, it says.

In its early years, the CPC quickly developed into a major power in China's political arena, through forming a democratic united front to carry out a large-scale, vigorous anti-imperialism and anti-feudalism revolutionary movement.

The Party's first-generation of leadership, with Mao Zedong at the core, achieved the victories of the War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-45) and the War of Liberation (1945-49), the birth of the New China, and the establishment and development of socialism, through building up an anti-Japanese national united front and a people's democratic united front, respectively.

The Party's second-generation of leadership, with Deng Xiaoping at the core, confirmed and further developed the Patriotic United Front to largely spur the initiatives of people from different classes, ethnic groups, political parties, groups and circles, which enabled socialism, with China's characteristics, to show its vigor and vitality.

By adhering to Deng Xiaoping Theory and the Party's basic line as guidance and focusing on the themes of unity and union, the Party's third-generation of leadership, with Jiang Zemin at the core, has further consolidated and developed the largest Patriotic United Front ever. This was done under complicated international and domestic conditions and facing severe economic, political and natural challenges.

The editorial stressed that the power and wisdom of the different sectors of the United Front have been brought to focus on the economic drive and have developed a united, stable, inspiring and vivid political situation in China, resulting in a ceaseless development of the country's reform, opening and modernization drive.

The editorial hails a series of achievements China has made in the political field in recent years, including the promotion of social stability and unity, the resumption of the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and Macao under the guideline of " Peaceful Reunification and One Country, Two Systems", and the propelling of the development of relations across the Taiwan Straits.

On the eve of the 21st century, the CPC Central Committee proposed three major tasks for China in the new century, namely to further push forward the modernization drive, accomplish the reunification of the motherland, and safeguard world peace and promote common development, the editorial says.

In the new century, the CPC-led United Front will concentrate the will, wisdom and power of Chinese descendants throughout the world to provide strong support to guarantee the accomplishment of the three top tasks.

To resolve the Taiwan issue and realize the reunification of the motherland at an early date is of fundamental interest of the whole Chinese people, including the people of Taiwan. Deng Xiaoping once said that the most important issue for the United Front is the realization of the reunification of the motherland.

Under the One-China Principle, the role of the United Front should be brought into maximum play to make the relationship between the Chinese people across the Straits as close as possible to win the heart of Taiwan people in order to oppose "Taiwan independence" and separatism, so as to create conditions for the complete reunification of the motherland at an early date, the editorial emphasizes.

It says that the 21st century will be the one to witness the great rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation, while it will also be a time for the United Front to play a big role as well.

National Conference on United Front Work Opens

The national conference on united front work of the Communist Party of China (CPC) opened in Beijing Monday, December 4.

Jiang Zemin, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese president, made an important speech at the conference, stressing that the Party's united front work should be consolidated in the 21st century.

"As the Party's magic weapon, enormous political advantage and long-term strategy, the united front work should never be lost, weakened or shaken in the new century," he told the National Conference of the Heads of the CPC United Front Departments.





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