Editorial: Rallying Scientists and Technicians Closely Round the PartyAs people of the whole country are joyously greeting the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the grand meeting of scientific and technical workers-the Sixth National Congress of the China Association for Science and Technology, is held in Beijing June 22.Leading magnates of science and young heroes from various trades and professions gather together to discuss matters of vital importance concerning the promotion of scientific and technological innovation and implementation of the strategy for rejuvenating the country through science and education. We express hearty congratulations on the convening of the conference and pay high tribute to all delegates and to scientific and technical workers of the whole country. Under the new situation, it is very important to strengthen ties between the Party, government and scientific and technical workers. Scientific and technical workers are part of China's working class, they carry out courageous exploration and make constant progress, so they are the main inheritors and disseminators of scientific and cultural knowledge of humankind and playing an irreplaceable role in socialist material construction and ethical and cultural progress. For decades, they have been working hard at their respective posts, quietly making dedication and consciously linking their own destiny with that of the Party and government, making tremendous contributions to the prosperity of the country and happiness of the people. At present, China's scientific and technical contingent has experienced constant quantitative expansion, and many new changes have appeared in the composition, allocation and requirement of scientific and technical personnel. Along with the deepening of economic restructuring and reform and the expansion of opening to the outside world, new changes will appear in the contingent of scientific and technical workers. In the face of the changed situation, it is necessary to continually develop and perfect rich, flexible and effective linking channels and ways between the Party, government and scientific and technical workers, so as to comprehensively, accurately and timely implement the various principles and policies of the Party and give full play to the initiative and creativity of the vast numbers of scientific and technical workers. This is of important significance in implementing Comrade Jiang Zemin's "three represents" important thinking and accelerating the process of China's socialist modernization drive. We should, through doing solid work, rally the broad masses of scientific and technical workers closely round the Party and the government. Scientists and technicians are the valuable wealth of the Party and the State. In today's world, the core of competition for comprehensive national strength is competition of science and technology, and the core of competition of science and technology is contest for scientific and technical talents. Implementation of the strategy for reinvigorating the country through science and education has set up a wide stage for China's scientific and technical workers to serve the motherland and has created an unprecedented, favorable environment. But we must also see that there are many concrete pieces of work that require us to do. We should train and bring up a world advanced, mighty and highly qualified scientific and technical contingent; we should establish and perfect a social environment and a policy-related environment which facilitates the emergence and growth of talents; we should continue to increase input in the undertaking of science and technology; strengthen construction of the science and technology legal system, and protect intellectual property rights; we should energetically encourage scientific and technical innovation, speed up the pace of the industrialization of scientific and technological achievements, etc. All these require that our Party organizations and governments at various levels should grasp and carry out these pieces of work with full enthusiasm and in a down-to-earth manner. Uniting with and mobilizing the broad masses of scientific and technical workers to form a mighty scientific and technical contingent and to promote progress and innovation in this field is key to fulfilling the 10th Five-year Plan and the entire modernization program. The just over 20th century was a century that witnessed brilliant scientific and technical achievements and made most distinguishing contribution to the development of humankind. The position held by science and technology in the development history of human civilization has never been so important as it is today, the development prospect of science and technology has never been so broad and bright as it is today. Under the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Jiang Zemin at the core, the magnificent blueprint for the 10th Five-year Plan period has been mapped out, the development objective has been clearly set. During the 10th Five-year Plan period, in the face of the international situation featuring fierce competition, the tasks of China's economic and social development are very heavy. Fulfillment of the strategic readjustment of the economic structure, comprehensive building up of a better-off society and acceleration of the drive for China's socialist modernization-all depend on a new improvement and great development of science and technology. Since the Fifth National Congress of the China Association for Science and Technology, science and technology associations at various levels and their affiliated organizations, have held high the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory, striven to implement Comrade Jiang Zemin's "three represents" important thinking and comprehensively implemented the Party's basic line. Taking economic construction as the central task, and centering around the general situation of the work of the Party and the State, they have achieved important progress in performing the duty of serving as a bridge and bond linking the Party and government with scientific and technical workers and building "homes of scientific and technical workers", and have made new contributions in serving economic construction, organizing academic exchanges, carrying out the popularization of science and developing international non-governmental exchange and cooperation of science and technology. The scientific and technological association is a mass organization of scientific and technical workers and serves as a bridge and bond in linking the Party, government and scientific and technical workers. It is the basic duty of the scientific and technological association to unite with the vast number of scientific and technical workers and to provide them with wholehearted services. The scientific and technological association has unique superiority, fine tradition, rich experiences and a broad development space. Party committees and governments at all levels should pay high attention and give full play to the role of scientific and technological associations, strengthen leadership over their work and provide them with multi-faceted support and help. Scientific and technological associations at various levels should seriously study the change and development trend of the contingent of scientific and technical workers, give better reflection of their wishes and demands and provide them with multi-faceted service and help in a better way, and fully mobilize and protect their enthusiasm. The present congress will elect a new leading body of the China Association for Science and Technology. We believe that under the guidance of the Sixth National Committee, the China Association for Science and Technology will certainly be able to more closely unite with and mobilize the nation's scientific and technical workers in creating new achievements in implementing the strategy for revitalizing the nation through science and education, and realizing China's third strategic goal! |
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