Full text of Hu Jintao's report at 17th Party Congress

XII. Comprehensively Carrying Forward the Great New Undertaking to Build the Party in a Spirit of Reform and Innovation

Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a cause that demands reform and innovation. To stand in the forefront of the times and lead the people in opening up new prospects for the development of the cause, the Party must improve itself in a spirit of reform and innovation and stay as the firm core of leadership for this cause.

The Party was founded 86 years ago, it has governed the country for 58 years, and its current membership totals more than 70 million. Therefore, the Party's task to build itself has become more arduous than ever before. The reform and opening up led by the Party have injected tremendous vigor into the Party, but they have also exposed it to many unprecedented tasks and tests. Developments and changes in the global, national and intra-Party conditions make it both vital and urgent for us to strengthen Party building in a spirit of reform and innovation. To achieve the main objectives of strengthening the Party's governance capability and vanguard nature, we must ensure that the Party exercises self-discipline and is strict with its members, and work to fulfill the requirement for serving the people and being pragmatic and incorruptible. We must strengthen Party building in all respects. Ideologically, we will focus on fortifying the convictions of Party members. Organizationally, we will put emphasis on bringing up Party members and cadres of quality. In improving the Party's style of work, we will stress the maintenance of its close ties with the people. Institutionally, we will emphasize improving democratic centralism. In enhancing the Party's capacity to fight corruption and uphold integrity, we will focus on improving the institutions for punishing and preventing corruption. All this will enable the Party to remain a ruling Marxist party that is built for public interests and exercises governance for the people; a party that is realistic, pragmatic and committed to reform and innovation; a party that is hardworking and clean; and a party that is full of vigor and enjoys solidarity and harmony.

1. Thoroughly study and apply the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics and focus on arming the whole Party with the latest achievements in adapting Marxism to Chinese conditions. Ideological and theoretical development is of fundamental importance to Party building, and the Party's innovation in theory guides innovation in all other areas. To build a party committed to learning, we need to thoroughly study Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents and launch a Party-wide campaign to intensively study and apply the Scientific Outlook on Development in light of the dynamic practices of reform, opening up and modernization. We must follow the developing Marxism as our guide in changing the objective world and remolding the subjective world, better grasp the laws concerning the Communist Party's governance, socialist construction and the development of human society, and improve our capability to apply scientific theories to analyzing and solving practical problems. We must step up education for Party members and cadres to cherish the Party's ideals and beliefs and uphold high ideological and moral standards, so that they will set an example in putting into practice the socialist core values, firmly believe in the lofty ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics, faithfully apply the Scientific Outlook on Development, conscientiously follow the socialist maxims of honor and disgrace, and actively promote social harmony.

2. Continue to strengthen the Party's governance capability and focus on building high-quality leading bodies. Strengthening the Party's governance capability has an overall impact on Party building and the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In building the leading bodies at all levels, we must focus our efforts on promptly and effectively improving their art of leadership and governance capability. Following the requirement of scientific, democratic and law-based governance, we will improve the way of thinking of leading bodies, the governing competence of leading cadres, their styles of leadership and governance, the leadership system, and the working mechanisms of the leading bodies of local Party committees that have had their staffing restructured. All this is intended to turn the leading bodies at all levels into staunch collective leaderships that are firmly committed to the Party's theories, lines, principles and policies and capable of leading scientific development. We will improve the governance capability of leading bodies in order to motivate and guide the whole Party and ensure that all the Party's work always accords with the requirements of the times and the expectations of the people.

3. Expand intra-Party democracy and focus on enhancing the Party's solidarity and unity. Intra-Party democracy provides an important guarantee for improving the Party's creativity and reinforcing its solidarity and unity. We will expand intra-Party democracy to develop people's democracy and increase intra-Party harmony to promote social harmony. We need to respect the principal position of Party members, guarantee their democratic rights, increase transparency in Party affairs and create favorable conditions for democratic discussions within the Party. We will improve the system of Party congresses by adopting a tenure system for their delegates and implementing a system of Party congresses with a fixed term on a trial basis in selected counties, cities and districts. We will improve the working mechanisms of local Party committees at all levels and their standing committees and let the Party committees make decisions on major issues. We will strictly implement democratic centralism, improve the system that combines collective leadership with division of responsibilities among individuals, and oppose and prevent arbitrary decision-making by an individual or a minority of people. We will introduce a system of voting for use by local Party committees in discussing and deciding on major issues and appointing cadres to important positions. We will establish a sound system under which the Political Bureau of the Central Committee regularly reports its work to plenary sessions of the Central Committee and accepts their oversight, and the standing committees of local Party committees at all levels do likewise to plenary sessions of local Party committees and accept their oversight. We will reform the intra-Party electoral system and improve the system for nominating candidates and electoral methods. We will spread the practice in which candidates for leading positions in primary Party organizations are recommended both by Party members and the public in an open manner and by the Party organization at the next higher level, gradually extend direct election of leading members in primary Party organizations to more places, and explore various ways to expand intra-Party democracy at the primary level. All Party members must firmly uphold the centralized and unified leadership of the Party, conscientiously abide by the Party's political discipline, always be in agreement with the Central Committee and resolutely safeguard its authority to ensure that its resolutions and decisions are carried out effectively.

4. Continue to deepen reform of the cadre and personnel system and focus on training high-caliber cadres and personnel. Adhering to the principle that the Party is in charge of cadre management, we will establish a scientific mechanism for selecting and appointing cadres on the basis of democracy, openness, competition and merit. We will standardize the cadre nomination system, perfect the cadre assessment system in accordance with the requirements of the Scientific Outlook on Development and a correct view on evaluating cadres' performances, and improve the procedures for open selection, competition for positions and multi-candidate election. We will expand democracy in the work related to cadres and make democratic recommendation and assessment more scientific and authentic. We must enforce stricter oversight over the whole process of selecting and appointing cadres. We will improve the tenure system and the recusal system for leading cadres as well as the system for transferring them between different posts, the public servant system, and the system of dual administration of cadres. We will advance reform of the personnel system in state-owned enterprises and public institutions and improve management of executives suited to conditions in these enterprises.

Adhering to correct guidance in appointing cadres, we will promote cadres who have political integrity, professional competence and outstanding performance and enjoy popular support with a view to increasing public trust in cadre selection and appointment. We will make greater efforts to train and promote outstanding young cadres, encourage them to work and temper themselves at the primary level and in areas with tough conditions, improve their understanding of Marxist theory and raise their political quality. We will attach great importance to training and selecting cadres from among women and ethnic minorities. We will give special attention to cadres who have long been working diligently in places fraught with hardships and difficulties. We will select excellent cadres from primary-level organizations and the frontline of production to join Party and government leading organs at all levels. We will continue to train cadres on a large scale, making full use of Party schools, schools of administration and cadre academies to substantially improve the quality of cadres. We will do a good job in all work related to retired cadres. Implementing the policy of respect for work, knowledge, talent and creation and adhering to the principle of the Party being in charge of personnel, we will make plans for training all types of personnel with the focus on high-level and highly skilled ones. We will make innovations in systems and mechanisms for personnel work and arouse the creativity and enterprising spirit of all types of personnel to create a new situation in which capable people come forth in great numbers and put their talents to best use.

5. Consolidate and develop all the achievements of the campaign to educate Party members to preserve their vanguard nature, and focus on strengthening primary Party organizations. The vanguard nature is the source of life and strength for a Marxist party, and has to be demonstrated by its tens of millions of members of quality. We must, therefore, do a good job in the basic project to build a strong Party membership and keep improving their quality. We will earnestly study and abide by the Party Constitution, raise our awareness of Party membership, introduce the practice of regularly reviewing Party members' compliance with the Party spirit, expand channels through which Party members serve the people, institute working procedures for them to stay in touch with and serve the people, and improve the permanent mechanism whereby Party members regularly go through education and always retain their vanguard nature. All this will make Party members exemplars who always keep in mind the purpose of the Party and truly care for the people. We will improve management of Party members among the floating population, improve the Party work among rural migrant workers in cities, and set up a sound unified system for dynamic management of Party members in both urban and rural areas. We will improve the quality of newly recruited Party members, optimize the composition of Party membership, and promptly deal with unqualified members.

Primary Party organizations constitute the organizational foundation for the Party to play its governance role. We will implement the responsibility system for building the Party and advance all-round development of primary Party organizations in villages, enterprises, urban communities, Party and government organs, schools, new social organizations, etc. We will give full play to the role of primary Party organizations in promoting development, serving the people, rallying public support and promoting harmony by optimizing their setups, expanding their coverage and making innovations in the way they function. We will develop primary Party organizations to promote development of other organizations at the primary level. We will launch intensive campaigns in primary Party organizations and among Party members to encourage them to excel in their performances. We will set up a sound mechanism for mutual assistance between urban and rural primary Party organizations. We will develop modern distance learning programs for Party members and cadres in rural areas throughout the country. We will set up a sound mechanism of incentives, solicitude and assistance in the Party to show concern for cadres at the primary level, for elderly Party members and for those who live in straitened circumstances. We will pay attention to ensuring funding and space for activities of primary Party organizations.

6. Effectively improve the Party's style of work and focus on combating corruption and upholding integrity. The Party's fine style of work is a great force holding Party members together and winning popular support. We must uphold the viewpoint of historical materialism that it is the people who make history, remain committed to serving the people wholeheartedly and adhere to the mass line. We must earnestly listen to their appeals, truthfully reflect their wishes, sincerely help alleviate their hardships and do more practical work for their benefit, putting into practice the principle of exercising power for the people, showing concern for them and working for their interests. We will seek progress in every aspect of our endeavor in a realistic and pragmatic way and do more to reinforce the groundwork for long-term benefit. We need to carry out more investigations and studies, improve our styles of study and writing, cut the number of meetings and official documents, and oppose formalism, bureaucracy and deception. We need to practice economy, always be frugal and hardworking, and oppose extravagance and waste. All Party members, especially leading cadres, must uphold the Party spirit, be impeccable in moral standards and play an exemplary role in society. We need to strengthen education in the Party's style of work and Party discipline and vigorously practice criticism and self-criticism so that leading cadres will observe Party discipline and state laws in an exemplary way, carry forward the Party's fine traditions and promote new healthy trends. With the Party's fine style of work, we will be able to improve the work style of the government and the conduct of the general public.

The CPC never tolerates corruption or any other negative phenomena. This is determined by its nature and purpose. Resolutely punishing and effectively preventing corruption bears on the popular support for the Party and on its very survival, and is therefore a major political task the Party must attend to at all times. All Party members must be fully aware that fighting corruption will be a protracted, complicated and arduous battle, attach greater importance to combating corruption and upholding integrity and take a clear stand against corruption. We will fight corruption in a comprehensive way, address both its symptoms and root cause and combine punishment with prevention, with the emphasis on prevention, thus effectively improving the institutions for punishing and preventing corruption. While resolutely cracking down on corruption, we will work harder to remove its root cause and take preventive measures through improving relevant institutions and expanding our efforts to curb corruption at the source. We will strictly implement the responsibility system for improving the Party's style of work and upholding integrity. We will deepen reform, make institutional innovation, foster a culture of integrity and develop a permanent education mechanism to resist corruption and decadence, a system for combating corruption and upholding integrity and a mechanism for monitoring the exercise of power. We need to strengthen the unified management of representative offices of Party discipline inspection commissions and government supervision departments, and improve the system of inspection tours. We will do our best to ensure that leading cadres are clean and self-disciplined and that Party members and cadres are better able to resist corruption and decadence. We must resolutely stop unhealthy practices that hurt public interests, and take effective measures to deal with matters that cause strong public resentment. We must see to it that all cases involving violation of law and discipline are thoroughly investigated and dealt with, and that all corruptionists are severely punished according to law without fail.

Comrades,

Ever since its founding in July 1921, the CPC has bravely dedicated itself to the historical mission of leading the Chinese people in striving for a happy life and for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Chinese Communists have been fighting one generation after another to fulfill this mission, and countless revolutionaries have sacrificed their lives in the course. Party members in contemporary China must continue on this mission. The ongoing reform, opening up and socialist modernization drive undertaken by the people of all ethnic groups under the Party's leadership are a continuation and development of the great cause of socialist construction since the founding of the People's Republic and the great cause of the Chinese people's struggle for national independence, prosperity and strength since modern times. Reviewing the past, we feel deeply honored to carry on this sacred mission. Looking ahead, we have full confidence in fulfilling the three historical tasks of advancing the modernization drive, achieving national reunification, and safeguarding world peace and promoting common development.

All Party members must be keenly aware that it will take more than a decade of continued efforts to reach the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and decades more to realize modernization by and large, and that it will require unremitting efforts by several, a dozen or even dozens of generations to consolidate and develop the socialist system. We are bound to meet with difficulties and risks in our endeavor. We must therefore stay prepared for adversities in times of peace, be mindful of potential dangers, and always maintain our firm faith in Marxism, socialism with Chinese characteristics and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We must guard against arrogance and rashness, preserve the style of plain living and hard struggle, bear firmly in mind the basic reality that China is still in the primary stage of socialism, and work tirelessly for the cause of the Party and the people. We must study and work diligently and keep scoring achievements that can stand the test of practice and time to the satisfaction of the people. We must reinforce unity, bear the overall interests in mind, conscientiously uphold the solidarity and unity of the whole Party, maintain the close ties between the Party and the people, cement the great unity of the people of all ethnic groups, and enhance the great solidarity of all sons and daughters of the Chinese nation at home and overseas and of the Chinese people and peoples of other countries, which will give us immense strength to overcome all difficulties and obstacles and achieve new, greater victories in the cause of the Party and the people.

Let us hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, rally more closely around the Central Committee, unite as one, forge ahead in a pioneering spirit, and work hard to achieve new victories in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and write a new chapter of happy life for the people!