Jiang
Zemin's speech on Party's 80th anniversary (part VIII) (07/01/2001)
To advance an all-round development of man is the precondition
for and the basis of boosting economic and cultural development
and improving the material and cultural life of the people, and
vice versa. The more comprehensively people develop, the more material
and cultural wealth they will create for society and the better
the people's life will be. Conversely, the more adequate the material
and cultural life is, the better man will achieve his all-round
development. The development of social productive forces, the economy
and culture is a historical process of gradual and endless progress.
All-round human development, too, is a historical process of gradual
and endless progress. The two processes should interact and help
each other forward.
Given the new situation, we must continue, on the basis of economic
development, to press ahead with the modernization of our national
defense and the armed forces, and build up our defense capability
with a view to safeguarding our state security and national unity.
It is essential to adhere to the fundamental principle of the Party's
absolute leadership over the army. We should meet the general requirements
of building the armed forces that are "qualified politically
and competent militarily and has a fine style of work, strict discipline
and adequate logistic support", and follow the military strategy
for the new era as our overriding guideline. We should stress the
quality of army-building and strengthen our armed forces by relying
on science and technology and run the army according to law in an
effort to build the People's Liberation Army (PLA) into a strong,
modern and revolutionary regular army. We should strengthen the
building of our national defense reserves, develop the science,
technology and industry of national defense and improve the system
of national defense mobilization. We should also continue to consolidate
and reinforce the unity between the army and the government, and
that between the army and the people.
Comrades and Friends,
Ever since its founding, the Chinese Communist Party has all along
held high the great banner of patriotism and waged an epic struggle
for the unity and rejuvenation of the country. Since New China came
into being, the Chinese communists of several generations have all
made unremitting efforts toward the complete reunification of our
motherland. Under the principle of "peaceful reunification
and one country, two systems", we have successfully resolved
the questions of Hong Kong and Macao, both left over from history,
and are working hard to seek an early solution to the question of
Taiwan and to accomplish the great cause of national reunification.
The status of Taiwan as a part of China shall in no way be allowed
to change. The Chinese communists are rock firm in their resolve
to safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity. While
we do have the greatest sincerity to work for a peaceful reunification,
we cannot and will not undertake to renounce the use of force. We
are fully capable of checking any attempt to split China by seeking
Taiwan's "independence". It is the bounden duty of the
Chinese communists to end the state of separation between Taiwan
and China's mainland and achieve the complete reunification of China.
Here I appeal to all our compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan
Straits and to those overseas: Let's unite and fight against separatism
and continue to bring forward the cross-Straits relations and the
process of peaceful reunification of the motherland. The complete
reunification of China represents the aspirations of the people
and is a historical trend that no one and no force could stop.
Comrades and Friends,
The world needs peace. The people want cooperation. Nations aspire
for development. Society seeks progress. This is the trend of our
times. In the last century, mankind underwent the scourge of two
world wars and endured the hardships of the Cold War and confrontation,
thus paying a heavy price. The people of China and of all other
countries hate to see any new hot war or cold war or turmoil break
out in any part of the world, hate to see any country or group of
countries pushing hegemonism and power politics and hate to see
any further widening of the development gap between North and South
or the gap between the rich and the poor. The people of China and
the rest of the world all long for a lasting world peace and for
a stable and peaceful life. They aspire for a fair and rational
new international order and for democracy in international relations.
They yearn for common development and prosperity for all and are
willing to work together for a better future.
Peace and development are the themes of our times. World multi-polarization
and economic globalization are developing despite twists and turns.
Science and technology are advancing rapidly. Competition in terms
of overall national strength is becoming increasingly fierce. New
and profound changes are taking place in the world alignment of
forces and the distribution of interests. Up to now, neither of
the two questions, i.e., peace and development, has been resolved.
The world we live in is still far from tranquil. Peace and development
complement each other. World peace is the precondition for enhanced
common development of all countries whereas such common development
is an important basis for the preservation of world peace. The questions
of peace and development are in essence the question of North and
South. If developed countries can effectively support and assist
developing countries in their economic and cultural development
under the principle of equality, justice, reciprocity and mutual
benefit and help the latter shake off poverty as soon as possible,
there will be an important foundation for the settlement of the
issues of peace and development.
Along with all the peace- and freedom-loving people in the world,
the Communist Party and people of China have always worked for the
lofty cause of promoting world peace and development. In the world's
great struggle against Fascism, in the sacred cause of the Asian,
African and Latin American people fighting for national independence
and liberation, and in the tireless efforts to promote the establishment
of a fair and rational new international order, we have always stood
on the side of justice and worked in unity with the people of all
countries and all the progressive forces in the world.
In the new century, the Communist Party and Government of China
stand ready to join hands with all countries and peoples who love
peace and crave for development and progress so as to secure an
international environment of lasting peace in a common endeavor
to push forward the wheel of history toward the magnificent goal.
The purposes of China's foreign policy are to safeguard world peace
and promote common development. We adhere to an independent foreign
policy of peace. We have carried out friendly exchanges and mutually
beneficial cooperation with all countries and treated one another
as equals on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence
in a ceaseless effort to advance the cause of human progress. The
Chinese Communist Party will, under the principles of independence,
total equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's
internal affairs, conduct extensive exchanges and strengthen cooperation
with all political parties and organizations in the world and further
promote friendship between the peoples and development of relations
between states.
We have all along maintained that countries should abide by the
purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the universally recognized
basic norms governing international relations, the affairs of a
country should be decided by the government and people of that country
and that matters in the world should be handled by the governments
and people of all countries through consultations on the basis of
equality. We oppose hegemonism and power politics of all forms.
The international community needs to set up a new security concept
with mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and collaboration at
its core and work to create a peaceful international environment
of long-term stability and security. Countries should step up their
economic and technical exchanges and cooperation and gradually transform
the inequitable and irrational international economic order so that
all will win and coexist as a result of economic globalization.
Our world is rich and colorful. The diversity of civilizations is
the basic feature of human society and also the driving force behind
the progress of human civilization. Respect should be given to the
history, culture, social system and mode of development of each
individual country. Diversity of the world is a reality that should
be recognized. Different civilizations and social systems should
enjoy long-term coexistence and draw upon and benefit from each
other in the process of competition and comparison and achieve common
development while seeking common ground and shelving differences.
We will continue to work with the people of all countries for a
world of lasting peace and universal prosperity.
Comrades and Friends!
Every struggle that the Chinese people fought during the one hundred
years from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century was for the sake
of achieving independence of our country and liberation of our nation
and putting an end to the history of national humiliation once and
for all. This great historic cause has already been accomplished.
All endeavors by the Chinese people for the one hundred years from
the mid-20th to the mid-21st century are for the purpose of making
our motherland strong, the people prosperous and the nation immensely
rejuvenated. Our Party has led the entire Chinese people in carrying
forward this historic cause for fifty years and made tremendous
progress, and it will successfully attain the objective through
hard work in the coming fifty years.
The young people of all ethnic groups in China represent the future
of our country and nation and the hope for prosperity and development
of our cause. It calls for your efforts, young people, to accomplish
the grand cause of socialist modernization and the great rejuvenation
of the Chinese nation. The Party and people have ardent expectations
of you. It is hoped that you love your country and your people,
stand high and aim far, broaden your vision and give full play to
your intelligence and wisdom on the broad arena of reform, opening-up
and the modernization drive. You will demonstrate the value of your
life and work hard to score accomplishments, thus living up to the
expectations of the people and the times.
All that we have achieved has gone down in the annals of history.
There is still a long way to go. The realization of truth is a process
of continued progress, so is the changing of the world. We shall
work unremittingly in pursuit of truth and fight for truth. Under
no circumstances should all comrades of the Party stand still and
refuse to move forward, nor should they fear hardship and difficulties.
All comrades must closely unite with the people of all ethnic groups
in China and strive to build our great motherland into a strong,
prosperous, democratic and culturally advanced modern socialist
country so as to make new and even greater contributions to humanity.
Long live our great motherland!
Long live the great Chinese people!
Long live the great Communist Party of China!
(end)
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