Jiang
Zemin's speech on Party's 80th anniversary (part V) (07/01/2001)
III. To strengthen and improve the Party building in accordance
with the requirements of the "Three Represent's"
To get the 1.2 billion and more people to march toward the target
of socialist modernization in a large and multi-ethnic developing
country like ours, it is a must to have the strong leadership of
the Communist Party of China. Otherwise, the country will fall into
a mess and break up. It will not only fail to realize its modernization
but also sink into a chaotic abyss. This is a conclusion drawn by
reviewing the modern history of China's development and after analyzing
the experiences and lessons of many countries in their development
course.
To uphold the Party's leadership calls for improving its leadership.
We must follow the basic theory and line of the Party, and strengthen
and improve the Party building in an overall and profound manner
and in accordance with the requirements of the "Three Represent's".
This will enable our Party to be in the forefront of the historical
process in which profound changes are taking place in the international
situation, to maintain its role as the mainstay of the people of
the whole country in the historical process facing up to all kinds
of risks and tests at home and abroad, and to remain the strong
leading core in the historical process of building socialism with
Chinese characteristics.
After 80 years of development, great changes have taken place in
the contingent of the Party members, their status and environment,
and the tasks of the Party. Our Party has evolved from one that
led the people in the fight for seizing the power nationwide to
one that has led the people in exercising the state power and to
a party in power for a long period of time. It has developed from
one that led the national reconstruction under external blockade
to one going for all-round reform and opening-up.
The number of new Party members has increased by a big margin, while
cadres of a younger generation have been replacing the older ones,
and a large number of young cadres have taken leading positions.
This has injected new vitality in and given new challenges, as well,
to the growth of the Party.
All comrades in the Party should proceed from the new realities
and, in the spirit of reform, study and solve major theoretical
and practical issues in Party building, so as to enable it to retain
progressiveness and purity, and be full of creativity, cohesiveness,
and fighting power.
To meet the requirements of the "Three Represent's," we
must uphold the Party's ideological line of emancipating our minds
and seeking truth from facts. We must carry forward and promote
the spirit of practicality, truth-seeking and courage in innovation.
We must go about all the work of the Party and the state creatively
and keep enriching and developing Marxism in practice.
Marxism is the fundamental guiding principle for the consolidation
of the Party and the development of the country. It also constitutes
the common theoretical foundation of the concerted efforts of the
people of all ethnic groups. The fundamental tenets of Marxism must
never be abandoned, otherwise, we would get lost or come to failure
in the pursuit of our cause due to a lack of a correct theoretical
basis and ideological soul.
That explains why we must always uphold the basic tenets of Marxism.
In terms of theory, Marxism develops with the times. If we dogmatically
cling to some individual theses and specific programs of action
formulated for a special situation by authors of Marxist classics
in the specific historical conditions in spite of the changes in
historical conditions and present realities, then we will have difficulty
in forging ahead smoothly and we may even make mistakes because
our thinking is divorced from reality.
That is one reason why we have remained opposed to dogmatism toward
the theory of Marxism. Our Party made mistakes and even suffered
serious setbacks in some historical periods. The most important
cause for that was the guiding ideology of the Party was divorced
from Chinese reality at the time. It was after our Party restored
and upheld the ideological line of emancipating the mind and seeking
truth from facts that the Party corrected its mistakes, overcame
its setbacks and forged ahead triumphantly by relying on the strengths
of itself and the people.
The experience and lessons our Party has in this regard have been
reviewed systematically in its Resolution on Certain Questions in
the History of the Party and Resolution on Certain Questions in
the History of the Party since the Founding of the People's Republic
of China. These are something that we must never forget. All comrades
in the Party must uphold the scientific principles and spirit of
Marxism, put changes in the right perspective and sum up fresh experience
that people have gained from practice, so as to constantly enrich
and develop the theory of Marxism.
Marx, Engels, Lenin and comrades Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping were
all shining examples in integrating theory with practice and in
making theoretical innovations. Marx and Engels carried out extensive
studies of the literature on the theoretical thinking of their predecessors,
critically assimilated their theoretical achievements and came up
with their own theories far better than those of their predecessors.
They had thus created a scientific thinking system for the liberation
movement of the proletariat and mankind as a whole. Lenin shed light
on the law concerning the imbalance in the economic and political
development in the capitalist world. He came to the conclusion that
the socialist revolution could succeed first in one or several countries
and he led the October Revolution to victory. Integrating the universal
truth of the fundamental tenets of Marxism-Leninism with the specific
conditions of the Chinese revolution, Comrade Mao Zedong originated
the theory of the new-democratic revolution with which he guided
the Chinese revolution towards victory and led the Chinese people
onto the road to socialism. Comrade Deng Xiaoping reviewed the negative
and positive experience in the development of socialism in China
and abroad and formulated the theory of building socialism with
Chinese characteristics, which has ushered China into a new period
of vigorous development of the socialist cause.
The history of Marxism fully shows that the principle of emancipating
the mind and seeking truth from facts leads to great social progress.
As social practice continues to develop, we should keep renewing
our ideas and make innovations courageously and intelligently in
light of practical needs. We should take practice as the sole criterion
for testing truth, subject ourselves to the guidance of the Party's
basic theory, proceed from reality in everything we do and free
ourselves on our own from outdated notions, practices and systems,
from the erroneous and dogmatic interpretations of Marxism and from
the shackles of subjectivism and metaphysics. We should adopt a
scientific approach and make bold explorations in order that we
think and act more in line with the objective reality, China's conditions
in the primary stage of socialism, and the development of the times.
Our Party has a history of 80 years of endeavour. It has had the
great practice of creating and developing Mao Zedong Thought and
Deng Xiaoping Theory. It has historical experience, both positive
and negative and both Chinese and foreign, in developing socialism.
We will be able to make fresh contribution to enriching and developing
Marxism as long as we remain in the forefront of the times, base
ourselves on the present practice, try to understand the characteristics
of the times, study major issues of immediate importance in accordance
with the basic theory of Marxism, deepen our understanding of the
laws governing the rule of the country by the Communist Party and
the development of socialism and human society, and draw upon all
scientific and new experience, thoughts and achievements.
To meet the requirements of the "Three Represent's," we
must uphold the Party's nature of being the vanguard of the working
class and make sure it remains advanced. At the same time, in light
of economic development and social progress, we must constantly
consolidate the class foundation of the Party, expand its popular
support and increase its social influence.
The Chinese working class is a product of China's social development,
particularly the expansion of large-scale, socialized production
since modern times. It has a strong sense of organization and discipline
and is firm and wholehearted for revolution. The Communist Party
of China has identified itself as a political party of the Chinese
working class ever since its founding and has remained the vanguard
of the working class, which has laid a solid class foundation for
maintaining its advanced nature.
With the development of reform, opening up and modernization, the
working class in China has expanded steadily. The qualities of the
working class have improved markedly in terms of their political
awareness, moral standards, scientific and technical and educational
level. It has become more progressive. All this has made the Party's
class foundation more solid. With intellectuals being part of the
working class, the scientific, technical and academic level of the
working class has been raised considerably.
Now we have adopted the basic economic system under which public
ownership plays a dominant role in the national economy while other
forms of ownership develop side by side. We are shaping a socialist
market economy and introducing strategic readjustments to the economic
structure. Consequently some workers have changed their jobs. But
this has not changed the status of the Chinese working class. On
the contrary, this will serve to improve the overall quality of
the working class and give play to its advantages as a group in
the long run. The Chinese working class has always been the basic
force for promoting the advanced productive forces in China. Our
Party must remain the vanguard of the working class and unswervingly
and wholeheartedly rely on the working class.
The main criterion to judge the nature of a political party is its
theory and program. If they are Marxist and represent the correct
orientation of social development and the fundamental interests
of the overwhelming majority of the people, the party is an advanced
one and the vanguard of the working class. Our Party is a product
of integration of Marxism-Leninism with the Chinese workers' movement.
The emergence of the working class is an essential condition for
founding the Party. During the period of democratic revolution,
given the social conditions then, most of our Party members came
from peasants and other laborers, quite a few from intellectuals
and some from other revolutionaries of non-laborers' background.
But the theory and program of our Party were Marxist and represented
the correct orientation of China's social development. Our Party
attached great importance to building up the Party ideologically
and persisted in educating and arming all Party members with Marxist
theory. It required Party members to join the Party not just organizationally,
but first of all ideologically. It gave them guidance as to how
to achieve the Party's program and tasks. All these enabled the
Party to keep its nature of being the vanguard of the working class.
Since China adopted the policy of reform and opening up, the composition
of China's social strata has changed to some extent. There are,
among others, entrepreneurs and technical personnel employed by
scientific and technical enterprises of the non-public sector, managerial
and technical staff employed by foreign-funded enterprises, the
self-employed, private entrepreneurs, employees in intermediaries
and free-lance professionals. Moreover, many people frequently move
from one ownership, sector or place to another, changing their jobs
or capacity from time to time. This trend of developments will continue.
Under the guidance of the Party's line, principles and policies,
most of these people in the new social strata have contributed to
the development of productive forces and other undertakings in a
socialist society through honest labor and work or lawful business
operation. They work together with workers, farmers, intellectuals,
cadres and the officers and men of the PLA. They are also working
for building socialism with Chinese characteristics.
To build socialism with Chinese characteristics is a great and arduous
cause. It calls for the worthy people from all sectors who are loyal
to the motherland and socialism to take action and lead other people
in pushing forward this cause. The main criteria to admit a person
into the Party are whether he or she works wholeheartedly for the
implementation of the Party's line and program and meets the requirements
for the Party membership. The basic components and backbone of the
Party are those from workers, farmers, intellectuals, servicemen
and cadres. At the same time, it is also necessary to accept those
outstanding elements from other sectors of the society who have
subscribed to the Party's program and Constitution, worked for the
Party's line and program wholeheartedly, and proved to meet the
requirements for the Party membership through a long period of tests.
We should try to enhance the ethical standards and political awareness
of our Party members through Party education. This will greatly
increase the influence and cohesiveness of the Party in the society
at large.
The theory on labor and labor value in a capitalist society advanced
by Marxist classical writers brings to light the operational features
of the capitalist mode of production and its basic contradictions
at that time. At present, we are putting in place a socialist market
economy. But the conditions we are faced with are quite different
from those the founders of Marxism were faced with and studied.
In light of the new conditions, we should make a thorough study
of the theory on labor and labor value in a socialist society with
a view to achieving a better understanding of this theory. It is
our fundamental objective of building socialism to ensure our people
their prosperity and well-being. With economic development, our
people will live a better life and their personal property will
increase gradually. In view of this, it is not advisable to judge
a person's political integrity simply by whether one owns property
and how much property he or she owns.
But rather, we should judge him or her mainly by his or her political
awareness, moral integrity and performance, by how he or she has
acquired the property, and how it has be disposed of and used, and
by his or her actual contribution to the cause of building socialism
with Chinese characteristics.
To meet the requirements of the "Three Represent's", we
must adhere to democratic centralism, establish and improve the
scientific leadership system and working mechanism, give full scope
to inner-Party democracy, resolutely safeguard the centralism and
unity of the Party, and maintain and continue to enhance its vitality.
Democratic centralism is our Party's fundamental systems of organization
and leadership. Our basic requirement and objectives of upholding
and improving democratic centralism are to create a political situation
in which there are both centralism and democracy, both discipline
and freedom, both unity of will and personal ease of mind and liveliness
in the Party.
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