Xi inspects Xiong'an New Area, urges new progress in its development

BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made an inspection tour of Xiong'an New Area in north China's Hebei Province on Wednesday. Xi also presided over a meeting on promoting Xiong'an's high-standard and high-quality construction and development and delivered an important speech. He stressed that the development of Xiong'an New Area has entered a phase when the same importance must be attached to both its large-scale construction and its purpose to relieve Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as the national capital. The focus has shifted to high-quality construction, high-level management and high-quality development of relieving Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as the national capital, he said. It is imperative to boost confidence, maintain resolve, and step up efforts in a solid and fruitful manner to achieve new progress in various aspects of work.

Xi was accompanied by Premier Li Qiang, and Cai Qi, who is director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang. The three are all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

On Wednesday, accompanied by Ni Yuefeng, secretary of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the CPC, and Wang Zhengpu, governor of Hebei, Xi conducted a fact-finding mission in the high-speed railway station, a local community, and construction sites.

On Wednesday morning, Xi took a high-speed train to Xiong'an New Area. Upon his arrival, Xi first inspected the construction and operation of the station. As the first important infrastructure project in the new area, Xiong'an Railway Station is of great significance. Xi examined the platforms, the waiting hall, and the squares outside, and learned about the station's construction and operation as well as the planning and construction of Zan'gang area, where the station is located. Xi said that Xiong'an Railway Station is the transportation hub of Xiong'an New Area. The transportation networks that connect the railway station and the rest of the new area should be further optimized, so as to improve the efficient flow of logistics and people, he said. Zan'gang area should be built into a cluster of high-end and high-tech industries, so that visitors will be able to immediately feel the new atmosphere of modernized Xiong'an New Area upon their arrival, he said.

Xi then took a car to Nanwenying community in Rongdong District of Xiong'an New Area, which is now home to 5,000-plus relocated people from Anxin and Rongcheng counties. While visiting the CPC service center for the public and then the community's canteen, Xi chatted cordially with staff of the community, residents seeking public services at the center, and elderly people dining at the canteen. He checked records of civil affairs of the community and expressed his satisfaction with its work on facilitating people's life and providing elderly care services. Xi stressed that he has been concerned about the life of relocated people. It's a relief to see their good living conditions. The key to boosting the development of Xiong'an New Area is to secure settlement and jobs for the relocated residents, so that they could live a stable, prosperous and promising life, Xi said. Xiong'an New Area needs to promote the modernization of its urban governance, and work must be done to the last detail in the initial phase to promote equal access to basic public services, so as to build a people's city that is both livable and conducive to doing business, Xi noted.

Xi called on the home of Li Jinghe, one of the relocated residents. Li told Xi that he moved into his new home in November 2021. The roomy and bright home offers much comfort, and his life is becoming better and better. Xi highlighted that developing Xiong'an New Area is a major strategic decision made by the CPC Central Committee. The relocated residents had answered the call of the state, supported the policies, and made their contributions to the implementation of the national strategies. Xi urged the young generation to boost their confidence, improve their capacities, contribute to their hometowns and work as builders of and successors to the cause of socialism in the building of a stronger China and national rejuvenation.

When Xi was leaving, the residents greeted him with loud cheers. Xi also waved goodbye to the residents. He said with emotion that he felt attached to this place as he once worked in Hebei, and hoped to build it into a better region. The development of Xiong'an New Area is a national project of millennial significance and should be pushed forward with concrete actions and sustained efforts. The construction cannot be done in a hasty mood, and neither should it rely solely on support, Xi said.

Xiong'an Intercity Railway Station is located at the core of the first-built zone in Xiong'an New Area. Xi then arrived at the construction sites of the station and the international trade center. He checked sand tables of the areas, overlooked the sites from a high point, and learned about the development of key infrastructure projects and major projects launched for the purpose of relieving Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as the capital. Xi noted that transportation plays the role of the blood vessels of a modern city, and smooth flow of traffic is the prerequisite to a city's healthy development. More efforts should be made in constructing a multidimensional comprehensive transport network, in making full use of underground space and in building a future city without "urban problems," so as to turn the high-standard blueprint into high-quality development of a city.

In the afternoon, Xi arrived at the Xiong'an Hall of the Xiong'an Exhibition Center. While watching the sand table and related short videos, he listened to the introduction on the overall planning and construction of Xiong'an New Area, and learned about the progress in ecological and environmental governance and protection of Baiyangdian Lake, river dredging and the "100 lakes connection project." He stressed that the endeavors to promote the ecological and environmental governance and protection of Baiyangdian Lake will benefit not only this generation, but many more to come. Therefore, comprehensive plans must be made and implemented in a steady manner.

Afterwards, Xi chaired a meeting on advancing the high-standard and high-quality construction of Xiong'an New Area at the multifunctional hall on the third floor of the exhibition center. Zheng Shanjie, director of the National Development and Reform Commission, Ni Yuefeng, secretary of Hebei Provincial Committee of the CPC, and Zhang Guohua, secretary of Party Work Committee of Xiong'an New Area made speeches. Heads of China Satellite Network Group Co., Ltd. and China State Construction Engineering Corporation submitted their written speeches.

After listening to their speeches, Xi delivered an important address. He stressed that under the firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee and with the strong support from the relevant central departments, Beijing, Tianjin and other regions, Hebei Province has performed its principal responsibilities, and the Party Work Committee and the Administration Committee of Xiong'an New Area have performed their due responsibilities and made solid progress on all fronts. As a result, significant phased achievements have been made in building Xiong'an New Area, top-level design regarding the construction and development of the new area is near completion, major progress has been made in infrastructure construction, efforts to relieve Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as the national capital are paying off, tangible results have been seen in the ecological and environmental governance of Baiyangdian Lake, positive results have been attained in deepening reform and opening-up, conditions for integrating industries and innovations have become more mature, and steady progress is being made in the relocation and resettlement of local residents. Within only six years, Xiong'an New Area has started from scratch and developed from a blueprint to reality. A high-level modern city is sprouting up, which is undoubtedly a miracle. All these achievements have been made while the world today is undergoing a scale of changes unseen in a century and during the COVID-19 pandemic that lasted for three years, which is very hard to come by. Facts have shown that the strategic decision of the CPC Central Committee on the development of Xiong'an New Area is correct, and work in different aspects is solid and effective.

Xi stressed the importance of fully, faithfully and comprehensively implementing the strategic plans of the CPC Central Committee on the construction of Xiong'an New Area and deeply understanding the practical and historical significance of the CPC Central Committee's decisions. It is important to stay committed to the CPC Central Committee's arrangements on Xiong'an New Area's functions and roles, missions and tasks, and relevant principles and requirements in this regard. Xi highlighted the need to enhance political awareness and be sufficiently patient, in a bid to balance the relationships between the near-term targets and mid- and long-term goals, between the speed of urban development and the scale of population increase, between industrial relocation and industrial upgrade, between the government and the market, between the work to relieve Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as the national capital and city development of Xiong'an, between urban construction and the revitalization of surrounding rural areas, so that the right direction can be ensured for the development of Xiong'an New Area.

Xi called for solid endeavor to do tasks related to relieving Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as the national capital, urging the planning for the relocation to Xiong'an of another batch of the headquarters of state-owned enterprises directly under the central government in Beijing as well as their subsidiary companies and units of innovation operation. The relocation to Xiong'an of financial institutions, research institutes and public institutions should also be planned. Incentive and constraint policies for the relocated should be further improved. As far as policies related to children's education of those relocated to Xiong'an, their healthcare, housing, remuneration, social security, and housing provident fund are concerned, the principle should be followed that old measures are applied for veterans and new measures for fresh employees, and policies should be more detailed and practical, so that they can enjoy real benefits. Xi also called for the integration of market mechanisms and government's guidance, equal emphasis on projects and policies, and strengthened internal impetus for the relocation through market-based and law-based approaches.

Xi emphasized the importance of fully implementing the strategy of innovation-driven development, and carrying out pioneering policies and measures on reform and opening up in multiple areas and forward-looking trials and demonstration projects in Xiong'an New Area. He called for efforts in building new functions, forming new images, developing new industries, gathering new talent, and constructing new mechanisms, making Xiong'an New Area an innovation highland and a fertile ground for business ventures in the new era. It is essential to foster a market-oriented, law-based and world-class business environment, formulate a package of special support policies to extensively attract and gather domestic and foreign forces and capital to participate in the construction and development of Xiong'an New Area, in a bid to create a dynamic landscape of public popularity, convergence of factors, joint contribution and common development. It is also essential to widely apply advanced science and technology, strengthen the capability for scientific and technological innovation as well as the application of achievements in science and technology research, develop new business forms and models to foster new growth drivers, and make a smart, green and innovative Xiong'an New Area a widely acclaimed brand name. It is equally important to implement the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, pursue green and low-carbon development, and make Xiong'an New Area a model of green development.

Xi pointed out that it is imperative to improve the leadership and management mechanisms of Xiong'an New Area, and Xiong'an should embrace an urban management system in a phased and orderly manner. The leadership teams at all levels and the officials of the new area need to be strengthened to make the personnel more qualified and professional. Work needs to be done to improve the assessment and evaluation mechanisms for officials in Xiong'an and encourage Party members and officials to take on responsibilities, innovate and perform their duties well.

Xi stressed that it must be ensured that people's cities are built by the people and for the people. Efforts must be made to address the issues of major concern to officials and people in Xiong'an New Area, so that people will get a strong sense of fulfillment and happiness from the development of the new area. Priority must be given to employment to improve policies that guide employment and entrepreneurship, and increase employment training programs for the labor in the new area. Efforts must be made to seek balanced development between urban and rural areas, so as to blaze a new path in narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas, pursuing integrated urban-rural development and promoting common prosperity for all.

Xi pointed out that the Xiong'an New Area Party Work Committee and Party organizations at all levels should conscientiously carry out the theoretical study program, and take the study as an opportunity to strengthen fact-finding efforts, promote the emancipation of mind, the improvement of capabilities, the transformation of work style, and the implementation of work, in a bid to further boost political and organizational functions. Continuous efforts must be made to tackle pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance, and advance anti-corruption endeavor in an integrated manner to make sure that officials don't dare to, are unable to and have no desire to commit corruption so as to create "Xiong'an quality" secured by "a clean government of Xiong'an."

In his speech, Li Qiang said that to promote the construction of Xiong'an New Area with high standards and high quality, the most fundamental and crucial thing is to understand and implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee. It is necessary to have the resolve of the "Millennium Plan," firmly grasp the role and mission of Xiong'an New Area, and work in a steady and patient manner for sustained achievements. It is essential to have the enthusiasm to "seize the day and night," vigorously focus on the things that have been clarified and must be done, and never to wait or procrastinate. Instead, work must be done in a fast manner to accelerate the efforts to help relieve Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as China's capital, solidly advance infrastructure construction, and step up efforts to build a modern industrial system, give full play to the enthusiasm of all parties, and continuously make new progress in fulfilling various tasks.

Ding Xuexiang said that it is necessary to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, and take scientific and technological innovation as the fundamental task for the high-quality construction and development of Xiong'an New Area. More efforts should be made to create an important source of independent and original innovation, build a first-class innovation platform, and carry out high-level scientific and technological innovation. Efforts must be made to promote the deep integration of industrial chain with innovation chain, deploy the innovation chain based on the industrial chain, intensify the application of scientific and technological achievements, and promote the development of high-tech industries; endeavors must be made to create a collaborative innovation community for the integrated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, innovate the benefit-sharing model, and absorb and gather more innovative elements for promoting high-quality development of Xiong'an New Area.

Li Ganjie, He Lifeng and others were on the inspection tour and attended the meeting. Wu Zhenglong, Mu Hong, Jiang Xinzhi and the leading officials of the relevant departments of central Party and government, relevant military units, Hebei Province, Xiong'an New Area, and those in charge of relevant enterprises were present at the meeting. ■

Xi stresses building of modern industrial system and high-quality population development

BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, chairman of the Central Military Commission and director of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs (CCFEA), presided over the first meeting of the commission under the 20th CPC Central Committee on Friday afternoon. He stressed that the work of the commission should be well carried out and underlined research and efforts on speeding up the building of the country's modern industrial system and advancing Chinese modernization with support from the high-quality development of the population. In his important speech at the meeting, Xi stressed that the newly grouped CCFEA should continue to play its role in formulating major guidelines for economic work and further strengthening and improving the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee over economic work. A modern industrial system is the material and technological foundation of a modern country, and the focus of the economic development should be placed on the real economy to provide solid material support for China to realize its Second Centenary Goal, Xi said. Population development is of vital importance to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and efforts must be made to improve the overall population quality so as to support Chinese modernization.

Li Qiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese premier and deputy director of the CCFEA, Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, a member of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat and a member of the CCFEA, and Ding Xuexiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese vice premier and a member of the CCFEA, attended the meeting.

At the meeting, reports on accelerating the building of a modern industrial system were heard from the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and so were reports on supporting Chinese modernization with high-quality population development from the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and the Ministry of Education.

It was noted at the meeting that economic development is the Party's central work. To strengthen the Party's leadership over economic work is an integral part of strengthening the overall leadership of the Party. The CCFEA bears heavy responsibilities and plays an important role as an important institutional arrangement of the CPC Central Committee to lead economic work. To do a good job, the CCFEA under the 20th CPC Central Committee must fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, accelerate the creation of a new development pattern and pursue high-quality development. It is imperative to strengthen strategic planning, bolster systems thinking, promote coordinated implementation, and intensify investigations and research to put into good practice the national development strategy in a consistent manner. The meeting examined and approved Work Regulations for the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs and Detailed Regulations for the Office of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs.

It was stressed at the meeting that to accelerate modernizing the industrial system with the real economy as the pillar concerns whether China can take the strategic initiative when it comes to its future development and global competition. We must grasp the opportunity of the new scientific and technological revolution which involves artificial intelligence among others, adapt to the requirement for harmony between humanity and nature, maintain and strengthen the advantages of a complete industrial system with strong capabilities of coordination, and effectively accumulate innovation factors worldwide, so as to ensure that the industries are smarter, greener and more integrated, and build a more complete, advanced, safe and modernized industrial system. We must maintain the real economy as the mainstay and prevent it from being sidelined, take steady and incremental steps instead of going after what is big and foreign and maintain an integrated development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries and prevent them from being isolated and opposite to each other. We must also keep promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries rather than eliminating them as "low-end industries," and adhere to openness and cooperation instead of divorcing ourselves from reality.

It was noted at the meeting that industrial policies under the new development stage must be improved, top priority must be given to safeguarding industrial security, top-level design for strategic fields must be enhanced, and industrial policies must be more coordinated. Greater efforts should be made to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key areas and strengthen support for strategic resources, and the principal position of enterprises in sci-tech innovation should be ensured with institutional arrangements. Greater attention should be given to enhancing the application of technologies in grain production and breaking through the restrictions of natural conditions such as cultivated land on agricultural production. It is important to make full use of the advantage of the super-sized market, with efforts to integrate the strategies of domestic demand expansion and innovation-driven development, and promote opening up and cooperation of the industrial and supply chains. Vigorous efforts should be made to build world-class enterprises, cherish and care for outstanding entrepreneurs, and train master craftsmen and highly skilled workers.

It was pointed out at the meeting that the current population development in China is characterized by the trend of birthrate decline, population aging, and differentiation in regional population growth, so the new situation of population development in China must be fully understood and correctly viewed. We should focus on the strategic arrangement of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation, perfect the strategy for population development in the new era, and understand, adapt to and guide the new normal of population development. Efforts should be made to improve the overall quality of the population, maintain an appropriate birthrate and population size, and speed up the development of modern human resources with good quality, sufficient quantity, optimized structure and reasonable distribution, so that Chinese modernization will be advanced with support from the high-quality development of the population. It is necessary to apply systems thinking in planning the population development, promote high-quality population development through reform and innovation, closely integrate high-quality population development with high quality of life for the people, and promote well-rounded development of individuals and common prosperity for everyone.

The meeting stressed the need to deepen the reform and innovation of education and health services, regard the construction of an education power as a strategic project for high-quality population development, and comprehensively improve the scientific and cultural literacy, health, and intellectual and moral level of the population. It is imperative to introduce and improve policies to support childbirth, develop a childcare service system that can benefit all so as to alleviate the burden of raising children on households, and build a society friendly to childbirth and child care to promote steady population growth in the long run. Efforts should be made to develop and make good use of human resources, stabilize labor participation rate, and bolster the efficient use of human resources. It is important to implement proactive national strategies in response to the population aging, promote the building of a basic system for elderly care services, develop silver economy, and accelerate the building of a multi-layered, multi-pillared elderly care insurance system to make sure that the seniors have a sense of security, worthiness and happiness. The relationship between population and economy and society must be well coordinated, and so must be that between population and resources and environment. Work should be done to improve regional economic layout and territorial spatial system, optimize the population structure, and safeguard the population security to promote the high-quality development of the population.

Members of the CCFEA were present. Leading officials of relevant central Party and government departments attended the meeting. ■

Xi presides over meeting on economic work

BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Friday presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to analyze current economic situation and economic work.

It was noted at the meeting that since the beginning of this year, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, all localities and departments have better balanced domestic and international imperatives, responded to COVID-19 and pursued economic and social development in a well-coordinated way, and ensured both development and security. As a result, China has secured a major, decisive victory in the country's COVID-19 response efforts, and economic and social activities have fully returned to normal. With macro policies well in place, the triple pressure of shrinking demand, supply shocks, and weakening expectations has been alleviated. The economic growth has exceeded expectations, market demand is picking up, economic growth is rebounding, and China's economy is off to a good start.

It was pointed out at the meeting that the current upturn in China's economy is mainly in the process of recovering, with endogenous driving force still weak and demand insufficient. Economic transition and upgrading face new headwinds, and hardships and challenges are still to be overcome to promote high-quality development.

It was stressed at the meeting that it is imperative to carry out the theoretical study program on the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, earnestly implement the guiding principles of the Central Economic Work Conference, adhere to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, accelerate the forging of a new development pattern, and comprehensively deepen reform and opening up. It is also important to give full play to the effectiveness of policies while boosting the vitality of business entities, so as to create a strong driving force for high-quality development. Work should be coordinated to ensure sustained economic growth, boost the dynamism of the economy, improve social expectations, and prevent and defuse risks and hidden dangers, so that we can ride the crest of what has been achieved to effectively upgrade and appropriately expand China's economic output.

It was noted at the meeting that efforts must be made to accelerate modernizing the industrial system supported by the real economy. It is not just necessary to speed up achieving breakthroughs in inadequate areas, but also important to make strong areas stronger and bigger. Efforts must be made to consolidate the foundation of self-reliance and strength in science and technology and cultivate new drivers for growth. The strengths in developing new energy vehicles must be consolidated and expanded with efforts to build more charging piles and energy storage facilities and to renovate power grids. Importance must be attached to the development of artificial general intelligence, fostering an enabling environment for innovation and remaining on high alert against risks.

It was noted at the meeting that currently the key for the economy to steadily recover and pick up relies on the recovery and expansion of demand. It is necessary to step up efforts in making proactive fiscal policy more effectual and prudent monetary policy more targeted and effective so as to create synergy for expanding demand. The incomes of urban and rural residents should be increased through multiple channels, the consumption environment should be improved, and the consumption of services in sectors such as culture and tourism should be boosted. The guiding role of government investment and policy incentives should be well leveraged to effectively stimulate private investment.

It was noted at the meeting that the principle must be firmly maintained to unswervingly consolidate and develop the public sector and unswervingly encourage, support and guide the development of the non-public sector. Efforts must be made to remove the obstacles and barriers in terms of laws and rules as well as hidden ones that hinder enterprises under all forms of ownership from competing and growing on a level playing field. Efforts must also be made to continuously boost the confidence of business entities and help enterprises regain strength. All enterprises must operate in compliance with law and regulations. Work must be done to ultimately address the issue of overdue payments to enterprises. Work should be done to promote the well-regulated and healthy development of platform companies, and encourage leading platform companies to explore and innovate.

It was stressed at the meeting that reform should be comprehensively deepened and high-level opening up expanded. The reform plan of the Party and state institutions should be conscientiously implemented to promote the modernization of the state governance system and capacity. It is imperative to put attracting foreign investment in an even more important position and achieve stable performance in foreign trade and investment. Free trade pilot zones and free trade ports with conditions should be supported to dovetail their rules with high-standard international economic and trade rules, and play a pioneering role in reform and opening up.

It was pointed out at the meeting that work should be done to effectively prevent and defuse risks in key areas and coordinate the reform of small and medium-sized banks, insurance and trust institutions and help them prevent and defuse risks. The principle must be adhered to that housing is for living in, not for speculation. With this in mind, city-specific policies should be implemented to support people in buying their first homes or improving their housing conditions. Work must be done to secure timely deliveries of presold homes, ensure people's wellbeing and social stability, so as to promote the steady and healthy development of the real estate market and boost the establishment of a new development pattern for the real estate industry. In megacities, renovation of "villages" in cities should be steadily promoted and so should the construction of public infrastructure for both normal and emergency use. More affordable housing should be planned and constructed. It is of importance to strengthen the management of local government debts and strictly control the increase of implicit debt. The prevention and control of COVID-19 should remain in place.

It was noted at the meeting that solid efforts must be made to safeguard and improve people's livelihoods, priority must be given to employment to expand employment channels for college graduates and stabilize employment for key groups such as migrant workers. With a particularly strong sense of responsibility, efforts must continuously be made to ensure workplace safety. Adequate electric power supply should be guaranteed during the peak summer season. What has been achieved in poverty alleviation must be consolidated and further expanded, and efforts made to ensure grain production and supply of essential agro-products to comprehensively promote rural revitalization. Ecological conservation and environmental protection must be strengthened. Officials at all levels must take the lead in conducting investigations and research, targeting problems and helping enterprises and grassroots solve problems in a practical manner. ■

Xi stresses solid efforts to write a new chapter in reform and opening up

BEIJING, April 22 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, chairman of the Central Military Commission and director of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, delivered an important speech while presiding over the first meeting of the commission under the 20th CPC Central Committee on Friday afternoon.

Xi stressed that this year is the first year for the implementation of the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress. It also marks the 45th anniversary of China's reform and opening up and the 10th anniversary of the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. To achieve the goals and targets on the new journey of the new era, we need to harness comprehensively deepening reform as the key source of momentum in our endeavor to advance Chinese modernization and the key focus of our efforts to secure overall stability, cope with changes, and open up new vistas. Steering toward the right direction, upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, and with solid efforts, we will write a new chapter in China's reform and opening up on the new journey.

Li Qiang, Wang Huning and Cai Qi, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy directors of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, attended the meeting.

Seven documents were examined and approved at the meeting. They were Opinions on Reinforcing the Principal Role of Enterprises in Innovation, Opinions on Strengthening and Improving the Management of the State-Owned Sector to Support Chinese Modernization, Opinions on Promoting the Development of Private Economy, Work Regulations for the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, Work Regulations for the Specialized Groups of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, Detailed Regulations for the Office of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, and Work Plan for the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform in 2023.

It was pointed out at the meeting that strengthening the principal role of enterprises in innovation is a major move taken to deepen the reform of scientific and technological system, and to realize higher level self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology. It is important to apply systems thinking, focus on "for whom we should innovate, who should innovate, what and how we should innovate." Institution building should be the pivot to make holistic arrangements for decision-making on technological innovation, R&D investment, organizing scientific research, and the industrial application of scientific and technological advances. Systematic arrangements should be made for the distribution of such key resources for innovation as policies, fund, projects, platforms and professional personnel. Innovations in terms of science and technology, industries, and institutions and mechanisms should be promoted in a coordinated way, so as to promote the establishment of an innovation system with enterprises playing a principal role and closer collaboration between industries, universities, and research institutes. Meeting the major needs of the country's strategic and industrial development should be the focus in order to beef up support for enterprises in innovation, actively encourage and effectively guide private enterprises to participate in major national innovations, and promote enterprises to play their role in making innovations in core technologies in key fields and achieving breakthroughs in major original technologies.

It was stressed at the meeting that the missions the state-owned economy shoulders and its functions as well as its role on the new journey of the new era should be the pivot for strengthening and improving the management of this sector. Strategic importance must be attached to forging a new development pattern, advancing high-quality development, promoting common prosperity and safeguarding national security when efforts are made to optimize the sector's safety responsibilities, quality, structure, property and management of enterprises. Efforts should be made to deepen reform of state-owned enterprises, and focus on addressing inadequacies, strengthening weak areas, consolidating fundamentals and giving full play to strengths, so as to build a management system of the state-owned sector that has top-level coordination, clear rights and responsibilities, efficient operation and powerful supervision.

It was noted at the meeting that supporting the development of the private sector is a long-term principle of the CPC Central Committee. To support the growth and expansion of the private sector, work must be done to improve the environment for its development, remove the institutional obstacles that prevent private enterprises from fairly participating in market competition, and guide them to accurately identify their role in the process of high-quality development, so that private enterprises will be able to constantly improve the quality of their development by reforming themselves, complying with law and regulations and upgrading themselves. We should fully consider the characteristics of the private economy, improve the way policies are implemented and coordinated to provide private enterprises with precise and direct access to preferential policies and thereby effectively solve the practical difficulties of enterprises. We should put into practice the building of a cordial and clean relationship between government and business to guide and promote the healthy growth of personages in the private sector.

It was emphasized at the meeting that since the 18th CPC National Congress, we have deepened the reform in an all-round way with great political courage, adhered to our goals as guide, highlighted problem-oriented approach, dared to break into uncharted waters, tackle tough issues, wade through dangerous rapids and face new issues and challenges, resolutely eliminated the drawbacks of various institutional mechanisms, and opened up a new situation with unprecedented strength. In the first 10 years of the new era, the reform we have promoted is comprehensive, in-depth and fundamental, and the achievements we have made are historic, revolutionary and pioneering. There is no country or political party in the whole world that has the political courage and historical responsibility to carry out such a bold and inward-looking self-reform. There is either no country or political party that can promote reform in such a wide range of areas, at such a large scale, with such a powerful strength and in such a short period of time. This is a distinctive feature and significant advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.

To continue comprehensively deepening reform on the new journey, we must uphold and strengthen Party leadership, find the right path, clarify goals and tasks, and implement to the letter each task with scientific planning and the courage to innovate. We must overcome difficulties in major reform tasks, coordinate the overall situation while grasping the key points, plan and promote reform with a focus on the major issues of comprehensively building a modern socialist country. We must also make good use of the favorable conditions created by institutional reform, and strive to break through some difficulties in removing institutional obstacles in all areas and adjusting the distribution of interests. We should strengthen investigation into and research on reform, make more visits to regions and departments where issues and problems accumulate, go down to the grassroots and keep close contact with the people, so as to learn about and analyze real problems. In-depth study should be conducted on specific problems, while taking into consideration all aspects of work. We should use our brain and make more efforts as far as the scheme of things and overall situation are concerned. It is necessary to intensify reform and focus on implementation, to foster a more targeted and effective mechanism, under which higher and lower level institutions are well coordinated, vertical and horizontal management soundly integrated. Greater efforts should be made in supervision over reform to make sure that reform measures are implemented to the letter. All departments must be motivated and the incentive mechanisms on reform and innovation must be perfected. Advanced experience on reform should be shared and promoted, public opinions should be well guided and timely responses should be made to concerns of all parties.

Members of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform were present, and so were leading officials in charge of relevant central Party and government departments. ■

Xi calls for further reform, opening up to drive Chinese modernization in Guangdong

GUANGZHOU, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed that Guangdong Province is the pacemaker and experimental zone of China's reform and opening up, and plays an instrumental role in Chinese modernization. He made the remarks during a recent inspection trip to the province. Xi said that with the goals of building China into a great socialist country and achieving national rejuvenation in mind, Guangdong must focus on high-quality development as the primary task and forging a new development pattern as the strategic mission to take the lead in promoting reform in all respects and higher-level opening up, achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, modernizing the industrial system, and advancing coordinated urban-rural and regional development, and be a trailblazer on the Chinese path to modernization.

From April 10 to 13, Xi made an inspection tour to places including Zhanjiang, Maoming and Guangzhou where he visited enterprises, a port, a village among other sites. Xi was accompanied by Huang Kunming, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, and Wang Weizhong, governor of the province.

On the morning of April 10, Xi first visited a mariculture base, a national level key mariculture project in south China, on Donghai Island in Zhanjiang City. After being briefed about the development of marine fisheries in Guangdong, Xi went on to see the fine fish breeds and asked research staff and breeders about breeding technology, the growth of fry and their market prices. He pointed out that China is a large country with a population of over 1.4 billion. To make sure the people have enough to eat and guarantee food security, we should adopt an all-encompassing approach to food production, utilizing both land and sea resources. Let the sea become blue granaries with fish and other marine products growing in aquafarms, he said. The breeding industry is the foundation of the development of modern agriculture and aquaculture. Concrete efforts must be made to promote its development. It is imperative to vigorously develop deep-sea aquaculture equipment and smart fisheries, and boost the transformation of marine fisheries into an information-based, intelligent and modern industry, he said.

The Zhanjiang Mangrove National Nature Reserve is the largest and densest natural reserve of its kind in China. Xi inspected the mangrove area on the Jinniu Island in Huguang Township, Mazhang District, in the eastern part of the reserve, and learned about the growth of mangroves and the surrounding ecological environment. He stressed that the mangroves are a "national treasure" and we should protect them as we do our own eyes. Strengthening marine ecological environment is an important part of overall ecological conservation. We should continue to pursue green development, make unremitting efforts from generation to generation to build a beautiful China, and make China's contribution to protecting the global village.

On the afternoon of April 10, Xi inspected Xuwen Port in Xuwen County of Zhanjiang City. This port is the "No.1 project" to connect Guangdong and its neighboring province Hainan. At the port terminal, Xi observed the overall view of the port and was briefed on Guangdong's efforts to improve connectivity of transport infrastructure and coordinate the work for the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port. Then he came to the berth wharf to see the ship docking and passenger transfer, among others. When passengers on board saw Xi, they all extended greetings to him. He waved to them and wished them a safe journey. Xi pointed out that the Qiongzhou Strait serves as a strategic channel for the national economic strategy in the South China Sea, and also a key gateway for the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port. We should do a good job in utilizing this "golden waterway" as the best channel for passenger and cargo transport, so as to build Xuwen Port into a modern comprehensive land-sea transport hub linking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hainan Free Trade Port.

After leaving Xuwen Port, Xi visited Dashuiqiao Reservoir in Xuwen County. The reservoir is a junction station for water diversion under the Beibu Gulf Rim Water Resources Allocation Project in Guangdong Province. Xi asked about the project's construction, management, operation and follow-up planning. The staff showed water samples and monitoring equipment and briefed Xi about local efforts in strengthening ecological conservation in the surrounding areas. Xi pointed out that China faces the challenges of insufficient and unbalanced water resources. To promote Chinese modernization, the availability of water resources as an important factor must be taken into consideration for urban development, land use, population growth and industrial development. Efforts should be made to develop water-saving industries. Guangdong Province must do a good job in optimizing the allocation of water resources, speed up with all-out efforts the construction of water resources allocation projects, promote endeavors in addressing the unbalanced development between regions and bring benefits to the people at an early date.

On April 11, Xi inspected Baiqiao Village in Genzi Township, Gaozhou of Maoming City. With plantations covering an area of 6,800 mu (around 453 hectares), the village specializes in producing lychees. Xi came to a lychee orchard to learn about local efforts to develop distinctive planting and cultural tourism industries. He cordially talked with technicians on the spot. Later, Xi visited a longan and lychee cooperative where he was briefed about the cooperative's operation and efforts in advancing rural revitalization. Xi noted that the region is known for lychees and has a history and culture of lychee planting with distinctive characteristics, notable advantages and a large market. It is necessary to further improve technologies in planting, fresh-keeping, and processing, so as to further advance the development of the distinctive lychee industry as well as distinctive cultural tourism.

When Xi was leaving, the villagers hailed aloud "Hello, General Secretary" and "Thank you, General Secretary." Xi said cordially to them, "This is my first visit to western Guangdong, and I am very pleased to see that the villagers are living a prosperous life through the development of lychee and other distinctive planting industries." He said we must advance rural revitalization across the board and address unbalanced development between urban and rural areas to advance Chinese modernization. We must remain committed to pursuing common prosperity, increase assistance and support for those who are lagging behind financially, foster social etiquette and civility among rural residents, and strengthen efforts to improve the rural living environment and protect the ecology, so that life for rural residents will get better one year after another, he added.

Xi made an inspection tour in Guangzhou on April 12. In the afternoon, he started his inspection by visiting the Guangzhou manufacturing base of LG Display. Leading officials of Guangdong briefed Xi on what the province has done over the past years to boost the interplay between domestic and international markets and resources and to raise the quality and level of trade and investment cooperation as well as the achievements made in this regard. Xi watched a display of the products and the process of manufacturing and assembly, and lauded the achievements made by the enterprise. Xi stressed that, amid the sluggish global economic growth, China will see its market have more competitive advantages if it speeds up fostering a new development pattern and improving its business environment. He said he hoped that foreign investors will seize the opportunities and come to China, especially Guangdong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and tap the potential of the Chinese market to secure new success in their development.

Xi then made an inspection tour to GAC Aion New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd. He visited its exhibition hall, assembly workshop, and workshop for producing batteries, and learned about the enterprise's progress made in achieving breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields and what it has been doing in developing higher-end, smarter and greener manufacturing. At the automotive engineering institute of Guangzhou Automobile Group, Xi took an attentive look at the labs for intelligent networking and model design, and talked with scientific researchers, entrepreneurs, employees and representatives of foreign companies. Xi noted that China's reform and opening-up policy will remain unchanged over the long term and the country will never close its door to the world. We are willing to work in the same direction with all countries that are willing to cooperate with us for win-win results to promote the common prosperity and development of the world economy. Xi stressed that China is a big country and must attach importance to the real economy and take the path of self-reliance. Core technologies in key areas should be based on independent research and development, and international cooperation is also welcome. Efforts should be made to strengthen education and personnel training to consolidate the foundation of sci-tech self-reliance and strength.

On the morning of April 13, Xi listened to the work reports of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and the provincial government and affirmed the achievements Guangdong has made in various aspects.

Xi pointed out that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has an important strategic position in the new development pattern of the country. Guangdong should earnestly implement the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee, regard the development of the Greater Bay Area as a great opportunity for Guangdong to further its reform and opening up, and give top priority to it, with the Pearl River Delta as the main position, and pool the whole province's efforts to do a good job in fulfilling this major task, so as to make the Greater Bay Area a strategic node for the new development pattern, a demonstration area for high-quality development and a pioneering area for the Chinese path to modernization.

Xi emphasized that high-level sci-tech self-reliance and strength is the key to the development of Chinese modernization. We should further implement the innovation-driven development strategy, strengthen the development of regional innovation system, further boost the independent innovation capability, and strive to make greater progress in achieving breakthroughs in core technologies in key areas. We should strengthen support for small and medium-sized enterprises in innovation, and cultivate more innovative enterprises with independent intellectual property rights and core competitiveness. It is very important to strengthen the principal role of enterprises in innovation, promote deeper integration of the innovation, industry, capital and talent chains, constantly promote the industrial application of scientific and technological achievements, and build an industrial science and technology innovation center with global influence. It is imperative to build the Greater Bay Area into a hub of talent to create an agglomeration effect of bringing together talent for innovation in high-end science and technology.

Xi pointed out that Chinese modernization should not follow the path that leads to the real economy being sidelined. Instead, efforts must be accelerated to develop a modern industrial system supported by the real economy. Guangdong Province must continue to develop manufacturing as its pillar industry and attach more importance to developing the real economy and accelerating industrial transformation and upgrading, so that its industrial foundation can be advanced and its industrial chain modernized. Guangdong must develop strategic emerging industries, and build a modern industrial system with stronger international competitiveness.

Xi emphasized that common prosperity is the essence of Chinese modernization, and coordinated regional development is a prerequisite for achieving it. Guangdong should make efforts to address unbalanced development between regions and accelerate the development of transport and other infrastructure for regional connectivity to promote the orderly transfer of industries from the Pearl River Delta to eastern, western and northern Guangdong. It is necessary to strengthen the overall planning of land and sea, and the complementary role between mountain-based economy and sea-based one, strengthen the overall layout of ports, industries and cities, enhance marine ecological protection so as to comprehensively build a strong maritime province. It is important to actively promote new urbanization with a focus on the development of county seats, accelerate the development of a modern rural industrial system, develop new rural collective economies, deeply implement rural development so as to promote common prosperity. Continuous efforts should be made to dynamically monitor any sign of rural residents relapsing into poverty, and regular assistance must be provided in this regard.

Xi pointed out that the theoretical study program is a major task for Party building this year. Party organizations at all levels must resolutely implement the plans of the CPC Central Committee, educate and guide Party members and officials to make efforts and achieve concrete results in forging inner strength, gaining wisdom, improving Party conduct and motivating actions through the study program. To forge the Party's soul through the study program is to deepen, internalize and apply the study and implementation of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, in order to strengthen our beliefs, reinforce the marrow of our faith, keep the roots of our convictions healthy and strong, and absorb the mental nutrients we need to maintain the right line in our thinking. First, we need to stay firm on our ideals and convictions to strengthen political identification with the Party's values and orientation and have a correct outlook on the world, life and values. Second, we need to consolidate our loyalty to the Party, consciously uphold the Party's overall leadership, and the CPC Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership. We should constantly improve our capacity for political judgment, thinking, and implementation, stay in line with the CPC Central Committee in terms of political stance, political orientation, political principles and political path, and materialize our loyalty to the Party in the implementation of decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee. Third, we should stand firmly with the people, raise our consciousness of the Party's fundamental principles, and stick to the Party's founding mission. We must practice the Party's "mass line," and whether the people are satisfied should be the criterion for assessing whether the study program is successful. Efforts must be made to solve problems of the greatest, most immediate, and most practical concern to the people. Concrete, meticulous and effective actions must be taken to improve the people's livelihood, warm their hearts and respond to their aspirations, so that the people will benefit more from the achievements of modernization in a fair manner.

Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, accompanied Xi on the inspection tours.

Li Ganjie, He Lifeng, and other leading officials of relevant central Party and government departments were also in Xi's company on the inspection tours. Leading officials of the seventh central steering group on the theoretical study program attended the briefings. ■

Xi calls for afforestation efforts during tree planting activity

BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, participated in a voluntary tree planting activity on Tuesday morning in Beijing. He called for national endeavor for tree planting during this season of growth.

Xi stressed that around this time each year, there is a tree-planting campaign from the country's warmer south to north. "Today, we are planting trees in order to call on more people to do the same. It is not just for more efforts to make the vast lands of China greener, but also help develop the awareness of afforestation among the general public," he said. "Together let us embrace this season of hope and build China into a beautiful country," he added.

Drizzling in the suburbs of Beijing has added to the vibrancy of the springtime. At 10:30 a.m., Xi and other Party and state leaders including Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Han Zheng arrived at Dongba Central Park in Beijing's Chaoyang District amid the rain to attend the voluntary tree planting activity along with other participants in the capital.

The planting site is in Dongba Central Park at the confluence of the Beixiaohe River and Bahe River, covering an area of about 20 hectares. There used to be a village here called Dongfeng Village under Dongba Township. After villagers were relocated, the site vacated, and environment improved, the area is now planned to become an ecological space featuring biodiversity. In the park, officials and residents of Beijing as well as members of the Chinese Young Pioneers were planting trees with great enthusiasm.

Catching sight of Xi, they all extended greetings to him. Xi put on a raincoat, picked up a shovel, and walked to the place for tree-planting, joining in the activity together with leading officials from the Beijing municipal government and National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Digging pits, building soil berms and watering saplings, Xi planted saplings of different types of trees including Chinese pine, midget crabapple, Chinese pagoda tree, persimmon tree and red-barked dogwood. Everyone was busy amid a warm atmosphere. While planting trees, Xi told students how to plant trees and enquired about their study and daily life. He asked them how old their parents were, whether biology lessons were taught in primary school, how much knowledge they had about plants, how much homework and extracurricular tutoring they had now. He also advised the students to be enthusiastic about work from childhood in order to develop sound moral grounding, intellectual ability, physical vigor, aesthetic sensibility and work skills. Xi stressed that children's upbringing is the same as planting trees. Just as a tree must be kept upright at the very beginning of its growth or else it will get crooked, a child must be educated to be upright as well at a very early age to avoid going astray.

After the trees were planted, secondary and primary school students, officials and other people present gathered around. Xi told them that China ranks the first in the world in terms of artificial afforestation areas, and the scale is still expanding. China and its people have made invaluable contributions to making the earth greener and responding to global climate change. Forests help conserve water, bring in economic benefits, boost grain production and also serve as a carbon sink. Planting trees is a noble cause of great significance which creates benefits for not only our generation but also future generations. We must continue our endeavor in this regard with consistent and persistent efforts.

Xi recalled his participation in tree planting activities. He said that this is the 11th time he has taken part in such activity since he became general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Counting the number of times he has done this since he started to work in the CPC Central Committee, it has been 16 times. "When I was working in Fujian Province, Zhejiang Province and Shanghai, I also attended tree planting activities," Xi said. He told the primary and middle school students that when they become parents, they should also let their children and grandchildren continue to plant trees from generation to generation, which is the way how a beautiful China is built.

Xi said that he grew up in Beijing and much of his homesickness is related to trees. In a siheyuan (quadrangle) in old Beijing, there were definitely scholar trees, persimmon trees, or crabapple, pomegranate and date trees. In the past, more poplar and willow trees were planted in Beijing because the city is suitable for such trees. Additionally, attention should be paid to balance the proportion of coniferous and broad-leaf trees to better meet the requirements of the biological and ecological chains. We should strengthen colorization on the basis of greening, plant trees of vibrant colors, strive to build an all-area forest city so as to make Beijing more beautiful.

Xi emphasized that green development is a major strategy for China's current and future development. Launching voluntary tree planting activities nationwide is a vivid practice to promote afforestation and build a beautiful China. All departments and all regions should organize such activities in light of specific conditions. Efforts should be made to develop new ways of organization in this regard and come up with new models to fulfill organizers' due responsibilities so as to make it more convenient for the general public to participate. Duties in this regard should be performed throughout the year, in various ways and in a convenient manner. He called for nationwide action to make waters lucid and mountains lush that are invaluable assets, and write a new chapter in building a beautiful China through planting trees.

Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and state councilors in Beijing participated. ■

Xi stresses Party education campaign to enhance cohesion and pool strengths

BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A meeting on the education campaign about the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era was held on Monday in Beijing. President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), attended the meeting and made an important speech.

In his speech, Xi stressed that the great goals of building China into a stronger country and realizing national rejuvenation are inspiring and stimulating us to forge ahead. Our generation of Communists have been entrusted with glorious missions and important responsibilities. We need to take this education campaign as an opportunity to equip all Party members with the Party's new theories, further advance their understanding of Marxism, and improve the Party's ability to govern and lead, so as to enhance cohesion and pool strengths to forge ahead with enterprise and fortitude on the new journey and strive in unity to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts.

Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice President Han Zheng attended the meeting. Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the central leading group for the education campaign on the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, made concluding remarks.

Xi pointed out that the Party-wide education campaign on the study and implementation of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era with the focus on leading officials at and above the county and director level is a major initiative to implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress. It is of great significance for the Party to achieve unity in thinking, solve prominent problems within the Party, always maintain close ties with the people, and advance the cause of the Party and the country. The education campaign should yield concrete results in the in-depth study and implementation of the Thought, guide Party members and officials to affirm and consolidate their convictions and continue to improve their capacity for political judgment, thinking, and implementation. The education campaign is meant to guide Party members and officials to become more conscious of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership, stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership, and closely follow the Party Central Committee in thinking, political stance, and action. In doing so, they can focus their ingenuity and energy on the same goal and come together as a mighty force to forge the Party into "one piece of adamantine iron" that is invincible. All Party members and officials need to be educated and guided to study the Thought and put what they have learned into action, foster a correct outlook on power, performance and career, enhance their sense of responsibility and mission, and constantly improve their ability to promote high-quality development, serve the people, and forestall and defuse risks. They need to be guided to strengthen the courage and ability to carry on fight, forge ahead with determination, take on responsibilities and demonstrate enterprise in their work. Efforts need to be made to educate and guide Party organizations at all levels, all Party members and officials to have a problem-oriented mindset so as to identify shortcomings and deficiencies and know what to do with them. They need to be guided to have regular political "health checks" through intra-Party activities, thereby "sweep off the dust," rectify misdeeds, and solve prominent problems of impurity in thinking and organization in the Party. They need to be guided to comprehensively advance the Party's capacity to purify, improve, renew, and excel itself. This will ensure that our Party always retains its vigor and vitality, and remains the strong leadership core in building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Xi stressed that it is important to meet the general requirement for this education campaign, that is to learn the Thought, strengthen Party consciousness, attach importance to practice and make new achievements. It is imperative to fully study and understand the Thought, comprehensively and systematically grasp its basic viewpoints, and scientific system, as well as its worldview and methodology. It is also a must to uphold and put to good use the stances, viewpoints and methods running through it, and constantly boost all Party members' political, ideological, theoretical and emotional identification with the Party's new theories. In this way, we will be able to master the essentials of Marxism and consciously use the Thought to guide our work. We must consciously transform ourselves with the Thought, have a good command of its requirements for maintaining firm ideals and convictions, raising our ideological level and enhancing our Party consciousness, and forever preserve the political character of Communists. We must be more purposeful in practicing the Thought of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and use it to transform the world and promote the development of our cause. We should use it to observe, understand and steer the trends of the times and to actively identify, respond to and steer changes. We should use it to solve various problems in economic and social development and Party building, to forestall and defuse major risks and to make new progress and breakthroughs in promoting modernization through a Chinese path. We should draw wisdom and strength from the Thought to forge ahead and master the management, thinking and work methods running through it. It is important to continue to improve the capacity for fulfilling duties, make concerted efforts to promote development, work ceaselessly to ensure implementation, do one's work well to make contributions and strive to yield results that can stand the test of time and the people.

Xi pointed out that the fundamental task of this education campaign is to apply what we have learned in practice, act on our beliefs and turn the Thought into a powerful force for strengthening ideals, enhancing Party consciousness, guiding practice, and advancing our work. In this way, the entire Party will be unified in thinking, firm in will, coordinated in actions and inspired in fighting, and concrete results will be achieved in forging inner strength, gaining wisdom, improving Party conduct and motivating actions through the program. It is important to enhance cohesion and forging the Party's soul so as to bolster the foundation, to educate and guide all Party members and officials through the program to consolidate their belief in Marxism, conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and confidence in realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and to carry forward the great founding spirit of the Party. To do so, it is imperative that we never forget our original aspiration and founding mission, that we always stay modest, prudent, and hard-working, that we have the courage and ability to carry on our fight, and that we keep the roots of our convictions healthy and strong, and absorb the mental nutrients we need to maintain the right line in our thinking.

Characters must be tempered and loyalty intensified. All the Party members and officials must be guided and educated to build up political characters, so that they will keep following the banner, the will and the mission of the Party. They must remain loyal to the Party, the people and Marxism, love the Party sincerely, concern themselves about the Party at all times, firmly protect it and do their utmost to promote it. Solid work must be done in a responsible manner to advance development. All Party members and officials should be guided to bear in mind the country's most fundamental interests, focus on the Party's central task in the new era on the new journey, do solid work, strive for concrete results and solve problems, and meet obstacles and difficulties head on, so as to fulfill their duties for the Party and the people with a strong sense of responsibility and commitment, to make greater efforts for new progress in promoting high-quality development, and harness the indomitable fighting spirit to open up new horizons for the development of the Party's cause. The Party's purpose must be applied to deliver for the people. All the Party members and officials should be educated and guided to firmly maintain a people-centered philosophy of development, do whatever they should for the people and rely on the people in everything they do, consciously seek the people's opinions on the work of the government and know about what the people need, always breathe the same air as the people, share the same future with the people, stay truly connected to the people, work hard to solve the most pressing difficulties of immediate concern to the people, and ensure that work on improving people's livelihood, warming the cockles of their hearts and respecting their will is done to their greatest satisfaction, so as to let the people have a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness and security. Duties should be performed in a clean and honest manner to foster new trend. All the Party members and officials should be educated and guided to have stronger awareness of disciplines and rules, and continue to rectify pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance, placing the rectification of pointless formalities and bureaucratism in an even more prominent position. They should also exercise power in a just and fair manner, in accordance with the law, for the interests of the people, and with integrity, build a clean work relationship among colleagues, and between ranking officials and their subordinates, and cultivate a cordial and clean relationship between government and business, so as to play a good role in guiding, creating and safeguarding a good political atmosphere within the Party and a good social tendency as well.

Xi emphasized that this education campaign is not divided into stages or links, but integrates theoretical study, investigations and researches, promotion of development, and inspection and rectification, and it is thereby advanced with a holistic approach. It is a must to read the original works and articles and fully understand the principles, reflect on what we have learned and develop an in-depth understanding of them, and comprehensively learn and understand the scientific system, the essence and the practical requirements of the Thought, so as to digest it thoroughly. In accordance with the work plan of the CPC Central Committee on encouraging investigations and researches throughout the Party, Party members and officials, especially leading officials at all levels, should be organized to go to rural areas, communities, enterprises, hospitals, schools, new economic organizations, new social organizations and other grassroots units, to sort out problems and difficulties and use the Party's new theories to study new situations and solve new problems. We should focus on high-quality development, the primary task of building a modern socialist country in all respects, strengthen theoretical study to guide work on development, deepen investigations and researches to promote the solution of development problems, integrate study, investigations and researches into the accomplishment of the tasks deployed at the 20th CPC National Congress, and test the results of the education campaign with the new achievements in promoting high-quality development. We should make sure that study, checking, inspection and rectification are carried out at the same time, and rectification of misdeeds must be conducted throughout the process, so that the people can feel we are solving problems for them. The central Party and government departments should do a good job in the education of officials during this education campaign.

Xi pointed out that this education campaign is a major event concerning the overall situation, the task is heavy with high requirements, and we have no time to lose. The Party committees (leading Party members groups) at all levels should shoulder the main responsibility, and plan, organize and implement the education campaign well. The major leaders of Party committees (leading Party members groups) should earnestly fulfill their duties as the first person responsible, plan personally, command in front, and supervise and guide the education campaign. The CPC Central Committee will dispatch guiding groups to supervise and guide the implementation of the education campaign. The Party committees of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, and leading Party members groups (Party committees) of competent authorities shall dispatch circular guiding groups to strengthen the supervision and guidance of the education campaign in their respective regions, departments and units. All regions, departments and units must focus on the central task and serve the overall interests of the country, combining the education campaign with the implementation of the CPC Central Committee's decisions and plans, and with the core task of their respective regions, departments and units. They must work on and push forward both combinations to motivate Party members and officials to transform their enthusiasm for learning and work into a powerful driving force for overcoming difficulties and making progress.

Cai Qi said in his concluding speech that General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, from the strategic height of the overall development of the Party and the country on the new journey in the new era, profoundly expounded the significance, the target and requirements of the education campaign, made comprehensive arrangements for various tasks of the campaign, and provided a fundamental guideline for the whole Party to carry out the campaign. It is a guiding Marxist document that must be earnestly studied, comprehended and fully implemented in the entire Party. We must comprehensively boost the theoretical studies, enhance cohesion and forge the Party's soul with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, educate and guide Party members and officials to acquire a deeper understanding of the decisive significance of the establishment of both Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, boost their consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership, and to ensure they stay confident in the path, the theory, the system, and the culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and firmly uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership. Efforts must be made to conduct inspections and researches and apply the Party's new theories in studying new situations, solving new problems and obtaining new experiences. It is imperative to rectify misdeeds throughout the education campaign, and to have a problem-oriented mindset to discover problems, study by seeking solutions to the problems, and make rectifications. It is imperative to make new progress in promoting high-quality development through hard work. The Party's "mass line" in the new era must be followed to make the education campaign open and inclusive, so as to address the pressing concerns of the people and deliver real benefits to the people. Leading officials must perform their duties well and strengthen supervision and guidance to make sure that all tasks of the education campaign are achieved as expected.

Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, vice chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress who are CPC members, state councilors, president of the Supreme People's Court, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, vice chairpersons of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference who are CPC members and members of the CMC attended the meeting.

The meeting was held as a teleconference, with the attendance of members of the central leading group for the education campaign on the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, members of the leadership bodies of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, sub-provincial cities and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, leading officials in charge of central Party and government departments, people's organizations, financial institutions under central administration and relevant departments in enterprises, universities and the military, as well as all chiefs and deputy chiefs of Central Steering Groups on the education campaign. ■

Xi presides over meeting about theoretical study program and revision of Party regulations

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee convened a meeting on Thursday and decided to launch a theoretical study program on the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Starting from this April, the study program will be organized in two batches in the entire Party. The regulations on the reporting of personal information by officials were reviewed at the meeting.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting.

It was pointed out at the meeting that according to the plans made at the 20th CPC National Congress, a theoretical study program on the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era will be organized for Party members, especially officials at and above the county and director level. Through the study, Party members are expected to achieve unity in thinking, will and action with the Party's new theories, and carry forward the great founding spirit of the Party. The study program is meant to let all Party members never forget the Party's original aspiration and founding mission, always stay modest, prudent, and hard-working, and have the courage and ability to carry on the Party's fight so that the entire Party will be motivated to strive in unity to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts.

It was stressed at the meeting that to carry out an extensive theoretical study program in studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a major plan made by the CPC Central Committee in order to fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and mobilize all Party members to work together to fulfill the Party's central task. And it is a major arrangement for advancing the great new project of Party building in the new era. It is meant to enhance cohesion and forge the Party's soul with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and urge all Party members to acquire a deep understanding of the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, become more conscious of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership, stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership. They must become more purposeful in closely following the Party Central Committee in thinking, political stance, and action. All Party members should fully study, comprehend and implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress to the letter, apply a new development philosophy, foster a new pattern of development, promote high-quality development, and advance Chinese modernization. The theoretical study program is meant to promote the Party's self-reform so that the Party will always stay alert and determined to tackle the special challenges it faces as a big Party, be united as one with the people and preserve its advanced nature and integrity. As a result, the entire Party will stay closely rallied around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, which will serve as firm and strong political guidance and guarantee to forge ahead on the new journey and make even greater contributions in the new era.

The meeting pointed out that the general requirement for this study program is to "learn thought, strengthen Party consciousness, attach importance to practices and make new achievements." The fundamental task is to apply what we have learned in practice, act on our beliefs, and turn Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into a powerful force for strengthening ideals, enhancing Party consciousness, guiding practice, and advancing our work. In this way, the entire Party will be unified in thinking, firm in will, coordinated in actions and inspired in fighting. All Party members should try to achieve concrete results in forging inner strength, gaining wisdom, improving Party conduct and motivating actions through the program. Enhancing cohesion and forging the Party's soul are to bolster the foundation, building up characters to intensify loyalty, being responsible and doing solid work to advance development, applying Party's purpose to deliver for the people and being clean and honest in performing duties to foster new trend. These are specific goals the study program is meant to achieve. Efforts should be made to solve problems in the following six aspects: theoretical study, political integrity, capabilities, sense of responsibility, work conduct, and honesty and self-discipline. Neither stages nor links will be divided in the theoretical study program, and theoretical study, inspection and research, promoting development as well as examination and rectification should be integrated and promoted in a coordinated manner.

It was stressed at the meeting that Party committees and leading Party members groups at all levels should attach great importance to the study program, and make arrangements in a well-organized manner, strengthen the application of the Party's new theories and results of inspection and research, solve the most pressing difficulties of immediate concern to the people and launch special campaigns to address prominent problems. Whether the people are satisfied or not is the fundamental criterion for evaluation of the program. We should combine the study program with the promotion of the central work to prevent irrelevance between the two. Publicity and guidance should be strengthened to create good public opinion for the study program. Efforts must be made to seek truth, do solid work, and resolutely oppose and guard against pointless formalities so as to achieve practical results. We should formulate a long-term mechanism to consolidate and deepen what the study program will achieve, and improve the institutional mechanism for studying and implementing the Party's new theories to ensure long-lasting effect.

The meeting pointed out that since the 18th Party National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has incorporated the strict implementation of the reporting system of personal information by officials into the strategic arrangements for exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance. As part of strict Party disciplines and rules, and an important measure to manage and supervise officials, the Party has achieved effective results in implementing the reporting regulations as far as vigorously promoting the self-governance of the Party and the management of officials are concerned. Revising the regulations on the reporting of personal information by officials is of great significance for thoroughly implementing the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, improving the system with Chinese characteristics for officials reporting personal information, perfecting the Party's system and norms for self-reform, and further strengthening the management and supervision of officials.

The meeting emphasized that the system for officials reporting personal information is an important component of the system for requests and reports, and faithfully reporting personal information to the organization is the political and organizational discipline that officials must abide by. Officials should develop a deeper understanding of the decisive significance of the establishment of both Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. They should boost their consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership. They should stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics. They should firmly uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership. They should remain loyal and honest to the Party, be open and aboveboard, tell truth, do earnest work, be honest persons, honestly report relevant personal information, and subject themselves to supervision. Senior officials should take the lead in abiding by relevant rules and regulations, and play an exemplary role for the subordinates in this regard.

The meeting required Party committees and leading Party members groups of all levels to earnestly fulfill their due responsibilities in enforcing full and rigorous Party self-governance. They should make sure that strict principles are upheld, strict measures applied and a rigorous environment fostered in implementing the reporting regulations. Disciplines must be abided by in reporting personal information, and random checking must be strengthened to firmly safeguard the seriousness and authority of the reporting system, so as to enable this system to play an even more important role in the full and rigorous Party self-governance.

Other matters were also discussed at the meeting. ■

Full text of Xi Jinping's keynote address at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting

BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote address at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting via video link on Wednesday.

The following is the full text of the address:

Join Hands on the Path Towards Modernization

Keynote Address by H.E. Xi Jinping

General Secretary of the Central Committee of

The Communist Party of China

And President of the People's Republic of China

At the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties

High-level Meeting

Beijing, 15 March 2023

Leaders of political parties from around the world,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

It gives me great pleasure to join all of you for the discussion on "Path Towards Modernization: The Responsibility of Political Parties".

The history of human development is full of twists and turns. Similarly, the journey of each country to explore the path to modernization is also arduous. In today's world, multiple challenges and crises are intertwined. The global economic recovery remains sluggish, the development gap is widening, ecological environment is deteriorating, and the Cold War mentality is lingering. Humanity's modernization process has once again reached a crossroads of history.

Polarization or common prosperity? Pure materialistic pursuit or coordinated material and cultural-ethical advancement? Draining the pond to catch the fish or creating harmony between man and nature? Zero-sum game or win-win cooperation? Copying other countries' development model or achieving independent development in light of national conditions? What kind of modernization do we need and how can we achieve it? Confronted with these questions, political parties as an important force steering and driving the modernization process are duty bound to provide answers. Here, I wish to share some of my observations.

We must put the people first and ensure modernization is people-centered. The people are the creators of history and are the strongest bedrock and force in advancing modernization. The ultimate goal of modernization is people's free and well-rounded development. For a modernization path to work and work well, it must put the people first. Modernization is not only about indicators and statistics on the paper but more about the delivery of a happy and stable life for the people. With a focus on the people's aspirations for a better life and further progress of civilization, political parties should strive to achieve material abundance, political integrity, cultural-ethical enrichment, social stability, and pleasant living environments so that modernization will better address the concerns and meet diversified needs of the people. In this way, modernization will promote the sustainable development of humanity by not only increasing the wellbeing of this generation but also protecting the rights and interest of future generations.

We must uphold the principle of independence and explore diversified paths towards modernization. Modernization is not "an exclusive patent" of a small handful of countries, nor is it a single answer question. It cannot be realized by a cookie cutter approach or simple "copy and paste". For any country to achieve modernization, it needs not only to follow the general laws governing the process, but more importantly consider its own national conditions and unique features. It is the people of a country that are in the best position to tell what kind of modernization best suits them. Developing countries have the right and ability to independently explore the modernization path with their distinctive features based on their national realities. We must develop our country and our nation with our own strength, and we must maintain a firm grasp on the future of our country's development and progress. We should respect and support the development paths independently chosen by different peoples to jointly usher in a new prospect for humanity's modernization that is like a garden where a hundred flowers bloom.

We must uphold fundamental principles and break new ground and ensure the continuity of the modernization process. In the face of various new issues, conditions and challenges in the modernization process, political parties should boldly take on responsibilities and excel in their work. We should break the shackles of stale thinking, remove institutional barriers, explore new methods and new approaches, and break new ground in theories and practices to instill unceasing dynamism into the modernization process. We should work together to reform and develop the global governance system and make the international order more just and equitable as we advance humanity's modernization in an environment of equal rights, equal opportunities and fair rules for all.

We must help others to succeed while seeking our own success and ensure all can enjoy the outcomes of modernization. Humanity lives in a community with a shared future where we rise and fall together. For any country to achieve modernization, it should pursue common development through solidarity and cooperation and follow the principles of joint contribution, shared benefits and win-win outcome. The frontrunners should sincerely support other countries in their development. One will not be seen in a more favourable light after blowing out others' lamp; nor will they go farther by blocking others' paths. We should share opportunities, create a future together and make the pie of humanity's modernization bigger to ensure more people enjoy the outcomes of modernization in a fairer way. We stand firmly opposed to the practice of preserving one's own development privilege by suppressing and containing other countries' endeavor to achieve modernization.

We must forge ahead with enterprise and ensure firm leadership over modernization. Modernization does not fall into our lap automatically. It is the result of hard work with the strong historical initiative. Political parties are the leading and driving force for modernization. Their values, ability to lead and govern, ethos, willpower and character have a direct bearing on the orientation and future of the modernization process. As an ancient Chinese philosopher said, "He who conquers himself is strong." Political parties should integrate party building with national modernization, forge ahead with enterprise and resolve, and excel themselves. In this way, they will have the confidence, determination and capability to respond to the challenges and questions presented by the times, meet people's expectations, and steer the course and marshal strength for the modernization cause.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Friends,

Achieving modernization is a dream that the Chinese people have strived to fulfill since modern times. The journey of over 100 years that the Party has traversed to unite and lead the Chinese people in pursuing national rejuvenation is also an exploration of a path towards modernization. Thanks to the unremitting efforts of generation after generation, we have found our own path to modernization.

The 20th National Congress of the CPC has proposed advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. Chinese modernization is one of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development. It is rooted in our national conditions and also draws on the experience of other countries. It carries the imprint of history and traditional culture and also contains modern elements. It delivers benefit to the Chinese people and also advances common development of the world. It is a sure path for us to build a stronger nation and realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is also a path we must take to seek progress for humanity and harmony for the entire world. We will stay committed to the right direction, right theories and the right path. We will not veer off course by changing our nature or abandoning our system. As our own future is closely connected with that of other countries and peoples, we will strive to provide new opportunities for world development, add new impetus to humanity's exploration of paths towards modernization and make new contributions to the theory and practice of humanity's modernization as we make new progress in Chinese modernization.

The CPC will continue to pursue high-quality development and promote global growth and prosperity. We will accelerate the building of a new development paradigm that promotes high-standard opening up and steady expansion of market access. China's door will only open wider. As we further modernize our industrial system, we will provide the world with more and better products made and created in China, and with a Chinese market of a larger scale and stronger demand. We will continue to support and help developing countries in their pursuit of faster development, industrialization and modernization and offer Chinese solutions and strength for narrowing the North-South gap and achieving common development. The CPC stands ready to work with political parties of all other countries to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, accelerate the solid implementation of the Global Development Initiative, foster new drivers for global development and build a global community of development.

The CPC will continue to safeguard international fairness and justice and promote world peace and stability. In advancing modernization, China will neither tread the old path of colonization and plunder, nor the crooked path taken by some countries to seek hegemony once they grow strong. What China pursues is the right course of peaceful development. We seek to settle differences through dialogue and resolve disputes through cooperation. We firmly oppose hegemony and power politics in all their forms. We advocate solidarity and win-win mentality in handling complex and intertwined security challenges to set up a fair and just security architecture that is built and shared by all. The world does not need a new Cold War. The practice of stoking division and confrontation in the name of democracy is in itself a violation of the spirit of democracy. It will not receive any support. What it brings is only endless harm. A modernized China will strengthen the force for world peace and international justice. No matter what level of development China achieves, it will never seek hegemony or expansion.

The CPC will continue to promote inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning and advance the progress of human civilizations. Around the world, countries and regions have chosen different paths to modernization, which are rooted in their unique and long civilizations. All civilizations created by human society are splendid. They are where each country's modernization drive draws its strength and where its unique feature comes from. They, transcending time and space, have jointly made important contribution to humanity's modernization process. Chinese modernization, as a new form of human advancement, will draw upon the merits of other civilizations and make the garden of world civilizations more vibrant.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Friends,

A single flower does not make spring, while one hundred flowers in full blossom bring spring to the garden. As the future of all countries are closely connected, tolerance, coexistence, exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations play an irreplaceable role in advancing humanity's modernization process and making the garden of world civilizations flourish. Here, I wish to propose the Global Civilization Initiative.

We advocate the respect for the diversity of civilizations. Countries need to uphold the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, and let cultural exchanges transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clashes, and coexistence transcend feelings of superiority.

We advocate the common values of humanity. Peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom are the common aspirations of all peoples. Countries need to keep an open mind in appreciating the perceptions of values by different civilizations, and refrain from imposing their own values or models on others and from stoking ideological confrontation.

We advocate the importance of inheritance and innovation of civilizations. Countries need to fully harness the relevance of their histories and cultures to the present times, and push for creative transformation and innovative development of their fine traditional cultures.

We advocate robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. Countries need to explore the building of a global network for inter-civilization dialogue and cooperation, enrich the contents of exchanges and expand avenues of cooperation to promote mutual understanding and friendship among people of all countries and jointly advance the progress of human civilizations.

We are ready to work together with the international community to open up a new prospect of enhanced exchanges and understanding among different peoples and better interactions and integration of diversified cultures. Together we can make the garden of world civilizations colorful and vibrant.

The CPC is committed to strengthening exchanges and cooperation with other political parties to pursue the just cause together. We are ready to deepen interactions with political parties and organizations in other countries to expand the convergence of ideas and interests. Let us leverage the strength of a new type of party-to-party relations for the building of a new type of international relations and expand global partnerships by fostering stronger partners with world political parties. The CPC stands ready to share governance experience with political parties and organizations of other countries so that together we can make big strides on the path to modernization toward the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

There are bound to be setbacks on humanity's journey to modernization, but the future is bright. The CPC is willing to work with all of you to ensure that different modernization drives form a mighty force driving prosperity and progress of the world and forge ahead nonstop in the long river of history!

Thank you. ■

Full text of Xi Jinping's speech at first session of 14th NPC

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech Monday morning at the first session of the 14th National People's Congress, the country's national legislature.

The following is the full text of the speech:

Speech at the first session of the 14th NPC

March 13, 2023

By Xi Jinping

Fellow deputies,

I was elected at this session to continue to serve as the president of the People's Republic of China (PRC). I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the trust placed in me by all the deputies and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups.

It is my third time to take on this noble position of the president of the PRC. The people's trust has been my greatest source of strength to go forward and also the greatest responsibility on my shoulders. I will faithfully fulfill the duties prescribed in the Constitution, take the needs of the country as my mission and the people's interests as the yardstick to follow, be committed and honest in my duties, devote myself to my work without reserve, and never fail to live up to the great trust of the deputies and the people.

Fellow deputies,

The Chinese nation, with a civilization spanning over 5,000 years, has created a myriad of glories and also been through a lot of hardships and adversity. With the advent of modern times, China was reduced to a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society, when bullying by foreign powers and frequent wars tore the country apart and plunged the Chinese people into an abyss of great suffering. Since its founding, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has closely united and led the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in working hard for a century to put an end to China's national humiliation. The Chinese people have become the masters of their future, the Chinese nation has achieved the great transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong, and China's national rejuvenation has become a historical inevitability.

From now until the middle of the century, the central task of the Party and all Chinese people is to complete building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and advance national rejuvenation on all fronts. And the baton of this central task has now been historically passed on to our generation. In accordance with the strategic plans made at the 20th CPC National Congress, we must implement the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, speed up Chinese modernization, strive in unity, and continue to break new ground, so as to make achievements on the new journey that answer the call of our times and history and meet the expectations of our people, and make due contributions of our generation to building a great country and achieving national rejuvenation.

Fellow deputies,

On the new journey to build China into a great country and to achieve national rejuvenation, we must unswervingly promote high-quality development. We must fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts and accelerate the efforts to foster a new development pattern. We must fully implement the strategy for invigorating China through science and education, the workforce development strategy and the innovation-driven development strategy, and focus on achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology. We must also promote transformation and upgrading of industries, promote coordinated urban-rural and regional development, make further efforts to build a green and low-carbon economy and society, and effectively upgrade the quality and appropriately expand the output of our economy, so as to constantly increase our economic strength, scientific and technological capabilities and composite national strength.

We must remain committed to putting the people first. The people are the decisive force for building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects. We must proactively develop whole-process people's democracy, uphold the unity between the Party leadership, the running of the country by the people and law-based governance, improve the system of institutions through which the people run the country, fulfill the people's will, protect their rights and interests and fully inspire their enthusiasm, initiative and creativity. We need to implement a people-centered philosophy of development, improve the system of income distribution, perfect the social security system, and enhance basic public services. We must ensure that the basic living needs of all our people are met, and work hard to resolve the pressing difficulties and problems that concern them most. We must do a better job of seeing to it that the gains of modernization benefit all our people fairly, and make more notable and substantive progress in promoting common prosperity for all. We must strengthen the great unity of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups and the great unity of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation at home and abroad, thus mobilizing all positive factors to give shape to a mighty joint force for building a great country and advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

We need to better coordinate development and security. Security is the foundation of development and stability is the prerequisite for prosperity. We must resolutely pursue a holistic approach to national security, improve the national security system, strengthen our capacity for safeguarding national security, enhance public security governance, and improve the social governance system. With this new security architecture, we will be able to better safeguard China's new pattern of development. We should comprehensively promote the modernization of our national defense and our armed forces, and build the people's military into a great wall of steel that can effectively safeguard our nation's sovereignty, security and the interests of our development.

We should solidly promote the practice of "one country, two systems" and the great cause of national reunification. The long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions is indispensable to the building of a great China. We should fully, faithfully, and resolutely implement the policy of "one country, two systems," under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong and the people of Macao administer Macao, both with a high degree of autonomy. We will remain committed to law-based governance in Hong Kong and Macao and will support Hong Kong and Macao in developing their economies and improving people's livelihood, so that they can better integrate themselves into the overall development of the country. Realizing China's complete reunification is a shared aspiration of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation as well as the essence of national rejuvenation. We should implement the Party's overall policy for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, actively promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, resolutely oppose foreign interference and separatist activities aimed at "Taiwan independence," and unswervingly promote progress towards national reunification.

We must strive to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China's development benefits the world, and China cannot develop itself in isolation from the world. We must solidly promote high-level opening up, not only making good use of the global market and resources to develop ourselves, but also promoting common development of the world. We must hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, always stand on the right side of history, practice true multilateralism and the common values of mankind, actively participate in the reform and development of the global governance system, and promote the development of an open world economy. We should promote the implementation of Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, so as to add more stability and positive energy to world peace and development, and create a favorable international environment for our country's development.

Fellow deputies,

To do a good job of governing the country, the Party should do a good job of governing itself; and to build a great country, the Party must be thriving. To promote the building of a great country, it is essential to uphold the leadership of the CPC and the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, and to step up Party building in a solid manner. We must remain sober-minded and resolved about addressing the challenges unique to a big political party as ours, and have the courage to carry out self-reform. We must unceasingly exercise full and rigorous Party self-governance, unswervingly fight against corruption, and always maintain the unity and solidarity of the Party. By doing so, we will be able to ensure that the Party will never change its nature, its conviction, or its character, which will serve as a strong guarantee for building a great country and advancing national rejuvenation.

Fellow deputies,

The grand goal of building a great country and achieving national rejuvenation is encouraging and motivating. We should seize the day, remain confident in our history, exhibit greater historical initiative, uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, maintain strategic resolve, carry forward the fighting spirit, and strive to overcome all difficulties, to contribute to the great cause of building China into a great country and achieving national rejuvenation.

Thank you. ■

Xi calls for guiding healthy, high-quality development of private sector

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited on Monday afternoon national political advisors from the China National Democratic Construction Association (CNDCA) and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), who are attending the first session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Xi participated in their joint panel discussion and heard their comments and suggestions. He stressed that the CPC Central Committee always stays committed to unswervingly consolidating and developing the public sector of the economy, and at the same time unswervingly encouraging, supporting and guiding the development of the non-public sector of the economy. The non-public sector's status and functions in the country's economic and social development have not changed, the principle and policies to unswervingly encourage, support and guide the development of the sector have not changed, and the principle and policies to provide a sound environment and more opportunities to the sector have not changed. The CPC Central Committee has always considered private enterprises and private entrepreneurs as being in our ranks. Efforts should be made to guide private enterprises and private entrepreneurs to understand the principles and policies of the CPC Central Committee, and boost their confidence and unburden them of their worries, so that they can ambitiously pursue development, and therefore the healthy, high-quality development of the private sector can be achieved.

Ahead of International Women's Day, which is celebrated on March 8, Xi, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee, extended holiday greetings and best wishes to female deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC), female members of the CPPCC National Committee, and female staff of the two sessions. Greetings and best wishes were also extended to women from all ethnic groups and sectors of society on the Chinese mainland, to female compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, in Taiwan, and overseas.

Those who joined Xi in the visit and the discussion included Wang Huning, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and presides over the meetings of the presidium of the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, and Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang, also members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

During the joint panel discussion, CPPCC members Zeng Yuqun, Xie Dong, Liu Zhendong, Chen Xiaoping, Xie Ru and Sun Dongsheng made remarks regarding topics on developing a globally competitive new energy industry, providing financial support for scientific and technological innovation, creating a better environment for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, promoting the high-quality development of platform economy, advancing the revitalization of rural industries, and how to give full play to the strengths and vitality of the private sector.

Xi made an important speech after listening carefully to the members. He said he was pleased to visit and have discussions with national political advisors from the CNDCA and the ACFIC. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, he extended sincere greetings to those who were present, to members of the CNDCA and the ACFIC and individuals from the non-public sector of the economy, and to all CPPCC members.

Xi stressed that the year 2022 was an extremely crucial year of great importance in the history of the CPC and the country. Faced with high winds and choppy waters in the international environment and multiple greater-than-expected factors at home, with all the Chinese people meeting difficulties head-on and striving in unity, we secured some accomplishments of major significance and far-reaching influence, resulting in substantial achievements in advancing the cause of the Party and the country.

The CPC successfully convened its 20th National Congress, drawing an ambitious blueprint for building a modern socialist country in all respects. We overcame difficulties and challenges including the COVID-19 epidemic, and safely and successfully hosted the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics as scheduled. We dynamically optimized and adjusted the measures and policies for COVID-19 prevention and control, securing a smooth transition within a relatively short period of time. As a result, China's mortality rate of COVID-19 has been kept at the lowest level globally. We have scored a major and decisive victory in our response to COVID-19. We fully and faithfully applied the new development philosophy on all fronts and focused on fostering a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development. While the global inflation reached a new high in over four decades, consumer prices in China remained stable in general. China's economic growth for the whole year was 3 percent, which is quite high among major economies in the world. All these achievements did not come easily.

Xi pointed out that the past five years since the 19th CPC National Congress have been truly momentous and extraordinary. The external environment for China's development has changed drastically, with uncertainties and unexpected factors increasing remarkably. In particular, Western countries headed by the United States have contained, encircled and suppressed China in an all-round way, bringing unprecedentedly severe challenges to China's development. At the same time, China has also faced various difficulties such as the resurging COVID-19 epidemic and the mounting downward pressure facing the domestic economy.

Adhering to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, we have met obstacles and difficulties head on and responded to them calmly, remained unswayed by fallacies, not cowed by pressure or hardships. China's GDP registered an annual growth rate of 5.2 percent over the past five years. We won the critical battle against poverty as scheduled and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thus attaining the First Centenary Goal, achieving impressive advances in the cause of the Party and the country, and taking China on a new journey toward building a modern socialist country in all respects. The achievements of the past five years should be attributed to the concerted efforts of the whole Party and the Chinese people, as well as to the contribution of the CPPCC members.

Xi stressed that, in the face of profound and complex changes in the international and domestic environment, we must remain calm, maintain firm resolve, pursue progress while ensuring stability, demonstrate enterprise in our work, unite as one, and have the courage to carry on our fight. To remain calm and maintain firm resolve means to keep a cool head in observing the profound changes in the international landscape, and calmly respond to various risks and challenges. We should accurately identify, soundly respond to, and actively steer changes, and timely optimize and adjust our strategies and policies. At the same time, we should maintain firm strategic resolve, stay tenacious, never be afraid of any risks, and move forward firmly toward the established strategic plans. To sustain progress while ensuring stability and demonstrate enterprise in our work means to maintain stability in our general direction, principles and polices, as well as strategic plans. On the basis of securing our foundation and position, we must forge ahead vigorously, move forward as fast as possible and strive for the best possible results.

We should unite as one and have the courage to carry on our fight as we draw our strengths from unity. Over the years, we have encountered various risks, challenges and battles one after another, and have overcome every one of them with all the people striving in unity and fighting tenaciously. In the near future, we will only face more and increasingly serious risks and challenges. Only when all the people work together with one heart and one mind, unite as one, and have the courage and ability to carry out our fight, will we continue to win new and greater victories.

Xi pointed out that the private sector is an important force for our Party to maintain its long-term governance and to unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups to realize the Two Centenary Goals and the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation. We always regard private enterprises and private entrepreneurs as being in our ranks, giving them support when they are in difficulties and offering them guidance when they are uncertain about what to do. We should improve the development environment for private enterprises, remove the institutional obstacles that prevent them from fairly participating in market competition, and safeguard the property rights of private enterprises and the rights and the interests of private entrepreneurs according to law. We should substantiate the requirement that state-owned enterprises and their private counterparts should be treated equally through institutional arrangements and legal guarantee to encourage and support the development of the private sector and growth of private enterprises, and boost market expectations and confidence.

It is necessary to give full play to the important role of private enterprises in stabilizing employment and boosting income, take more effective measures to support the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and self-employed individuals, and support the platform companies to play an active role in creating jobs, expanding consumption and competing in the global market. Work should be done to fully establish a cordial and clean relationship between government and businesses, and resolve concerns and difficulties for private companies and private entrepreneurs, so that they could be given a free hand and concentrate on development with no worries. It is also necessary to strengthen theoretical and political guidance, help private companies and private entrepreneurs properly perceive the Party Central Committee's principles and policies of unswervingly consolidating and developing the public sector, unswervingly encouraging, supporting and guiding the development of the non-public sector, as well as promoting the healthy growth of the non-public sector of the economy and encouraging those working in this sector to achieve success, so that they can let go of misgivings, be unburdened and develop with courage.

Xi stressed that the pursuit of high-quality development places higher requirements on the private sector. Private enterprises should put into practice the new development philosophy, thoroughly understand the shortcomings existing in and challenges faced by the private sector, so that they can transform their growth model, adjust industrial structure and shift to new growth drivers, stick to the main business, strengthen their industries and consciously take the path of high-quality development. Those who have the ability and the conditions should strengthen self-dependent innovation to play a greater role in promoting sci-tech self-reliance and strength and the application of sci-tech achievements.

Efforts should be made to unleash the vitality of private investment, and encourage and attract more private capital to take part in the development of major projects and programs in key industrial and supply chains, enabling such capital to make a greater contribution to fostering a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development. Work should be done to regulate and guide the sound development of all types of capital in accordance with law, and effectively prevent and defuse systematic financial risks, with the goal of creating an environment for enterprises under all forms of ownership to compete equally and grow together.

Xi pointed out that Chinese modernization is meant to realize common prosperity for all Chinese people. Both state-owned enterprises and their private counterparts are important forces for promoting common prosperity. Both should take their social responsibilities in this regard. He called on private entrepreneurs to strengthen their sentiment and concern for the country and the people, and consciously apply people-centered development philosophy, and have a strong sense of responsibility and mission to help others get rich and promote common prosperity.

Xi said that private enterprises should strive to build harmonious internal labor relations and foster an employees' community with shared interest, making sure that the achievements of private enterprises' development can equally benefit all staff members. He underlined the requirement that private enterprises and private entrepreneurs should adhere to the bottom line that their business operations must be in compliance with law and regulations, carry forward the fine spirit of entrepreneurship, and act as patriotic and dedicated role models who always abide by law in business operations, actively start up businesses while seeking innovation, and repay the society. Private enterprises and private entrepreneurs are called on to pass on and further develop traditional Chinese virtues, actively join in and initiate social charities, being responsible, righteous and benevolent while being wealthy.

Shi Taifeng, He Lifeng, Hao Mingjin, Gao Yunlong and others were present. ■

Xi stresses high-quality development with Jiangsu delegation

BEIJING, March 6 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed that high-quality development is the top priority in building China into a modern socialist country in all respects. He made the remarks on Sunday afternoon during a deliberation with deputies from the delegation of Jiangsu Province at the first session of the 14th National People's Congress. Xi is a deputy of the delegation.

Xi stressed that we must fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, and as far as understanding, assessing and promoting development is concerned, we must make sure that the development is innovative, coordinated, green, open and for everyone in a well-integrated manner. A better balance must be maintained between effective rise in quality and reasonable growth in quantity, with quality first and priority given to economic and social benefits. We need to raise awareness of quality, and regard quality as precious as life to pursue higher quality. We must stay committed to deepening reform and opening up, further transform the growth model, and work for better quality with higher efficiency and more robust drivers of economic growth through reform, so as to accelerate the development of institutions and mechanisms for sustainable high-quality development. Our ultimate goal is to meet people's increasing expectation for a better life, so it is important to transform the achievements of development into quality of life so as to constantly increase people's sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security.

Xi was received by a round of warm applause when he came to the Jiangsu delegation.

The atmosphere was warm and serious in the delegation's panel deliberation. Deputies Xu Kunlin, Liu Qing, Shan Zenghai, Wei Qiao, Zhang Dadong and Wu Qingwen shared their opinions on how to serve the fostering of a new development pattern, how to vigorously promote coordinated innovation across regions, how to develop a stronger manufacturing industry, how to be "new farmers" of the times, how to cultivate talents for the Party, and how to be the pacemaker of the Chinese path to modernization. Xi would often make remarks between their speeches and compare notes with other deputies.

Having listened carefully to the deputies, Xi made a speech. He said that, first of all, he thought well of the Report on the Work of the Government, and affirmed the achievements that Jiangsu has made over the past five years in various areas including social and economic development as well as Party building. He said he hoped that Jiangsu would continue to forge ahead with solid efforts and take the lead on the journey of high-quality development, so as to make a good start for the new chapter of Jiangsu's modernization drive featuring strong economy, prosperity for residents, beautiful environment and developed culture and ethics, and make new and greater contributions to the overall development of the country.

Xi pointed out that speeding up efforts to achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology is the path we must take to promote high-quality development. Facing fierce global competitions, we must open up new areas and new tracks in development and foster new growth drivers and new strengths, which, fundamentally, depends on sci-tech innovation. Whether we will be able to finish building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects as scheduled or not depends on whether we can achieve self-reliance and strength in science and technology. We must adhere to the principles of targeting global scientific and technological frontiers, serving the economy, meeting major national needs and striving to improve people's lives and health. We must accelerate the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, promote in-depth cooperation between industries, universities and research institutes, and intensify efforts to develop major platforms for sci-tech innovation. We must support top scientists to take the lead in conducting original and pioneering scientific and technological research in order to achieve breakthroughs and overcome difficulties in core technologies in key fields, so as to ensure that key areas and links can fall within our own hands. We must strengthen the dominant position of enterprises, promote deeper integration of the innovation, industrial, capital and talent chains, give full play to the guiding and supporting role of key high-tech enterprises, and promote healthy development of micro, small and medium-sized technological enterprises. We must constantly promote the transformation and industrial application of scientific research and technological development results, so as to build a center for industrial and sci-tech innovation with global competitiveness. We need to deepen reform of science and technology system, vigorously foster a culture of innovation, and perfect the system for appraisal of science and technology and the incentive mechanism, so as to create an enabling environment for innovative personnel to stand out and give full play to their talents.

Xi pointed out that accelerating the creation of a new development pattern is the strategic foundation for promoting high-quality growth. We should make sure that our implementation of the strategy to expand domestic demand is integrated with our efforts to deepen supply-side structural reform, and move faster to modernize the industrial system. In pursuing economic growth, we must continue to focus on the real economy. We need to advance new industrialization, intensify efforts to re-engineer the industrial foundation and tackle key issues in major technologies and equipment, so as to make the manufacturing sector high-end, smarter, and greener. We should move faster to build up Jiangsu's strength in manufacturing, vigorously develop strategic emerging industries, and accelerate the development of the digital economy. We should, in accordance with the requirements of building a high-standard socialist market economy and promoting high-standard opening up, deepen reform in key areas, make coordinated efforts to put in place a modern infrastructure system and a high-standard market system, and steadily expand institutional opening up.

Xi emphasized that strong agriculture is the foundation of a strong modern socialist country, and promoting agricultural modernization is a prerequisite for achieving high-quality development. We should safeguard the red line of 120 million hectares of farmland, keep sown area at a stable level, increase the area of high-standard cropland, and secure the stable and safe supply of grain and important agricultural products. We should take industrial development as the top priority of rural revitalization, actively extend and expand the agricultural industry chain, cultivate and develop new industries and new forms of business in rural areas, so as to create more channels for farmers to increase their incomes. We should optimize the layout of townships and villages, coordinate the development of rural infrastructure and public service system, carry out in-depth actions to improve rural living environment, and speed up the building of a beautiful and harmonious countryside that is desirable to live and work in. We should leverage the strengths of science and technology and reform to advance reform of the rural land system, consolidate and improve the basic rural operation system, develop new rural collective economies, cultivate new types of agribusiness and commercial agricultural services, and support appropriately scaled agricultural operations, so as to inject momentum and vitality into the agricultural and rural development.

Xi pointed out that promoting high-quality development is for the wellbeing of the people. Primary-level governance and livelihood support concern people's immediate interests, and are thus a foundation-laying work for promoting common prosperity and achieving a high quality of life. Party committees and governments at all levels must bear this in mind, do the work well all the times and make sure that achievements are made in this regard. They should improve the mechanism for community-level self-governance guided by primary-level Party organizations, strengthen the development of grassroots-level organizations, and perfect the platform for primary-level governance featuring grid-based management, meticulous services and information technology support. They should also improve the governance system for urban and rural communities to bring high-quality service and detailed management to the doorsteps of the people. They should carry on and develop the "Fengqiao Experience" in the new era, improve the mechanism for appropriately handling disputes among the people under new circumstances to timely defuse them at grassroots level and initial stage. They should focus on the most pressing difficulties and problems that are of great concern to the people, take more measures that can improve people's livelihood and warm the cockles of their hearts, refine the basic public service system, make an effort to support employment of key groups, adjust income distribution, improve the social security system and boost the service for the elderly and the children. Practical and targeted efforts should be made for the control and prevention of the COVID-19 epidemic in the new phase, and every measure must be taken to manage COVID-19 as a Class B infectious disease. Efforts should be made to persistently strengthen the development of public health system, disease control and prevention system, and healthcare service system.

Lastly, Xi stressed that, to promote high quality development, the overall leadership of the Party must be upheld, and full and strict governance over the Party must be exercised in a steadfast manner. Party committees at all levels must take their due responsibilities for full and strict governance over the Party, take practical steps in further studying, publicizing and applying the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, strengthen team building of leaderships and officials at all levels after the change of office terms, reinforce Party building on all fronts, carry out thematic education on thoroughly learning and putting into practice the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, in order to provide staunch political guidance and political guarantee for us to forge ahead in the new journey and make contributions in the new era.

Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and He Lifeng were present. ■

Communique of the Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The following is the full text of the communique of the second plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China:

Communique of the Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

(Adopted at the Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on February 28, 2023)

The second plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held in Beijing from February 26 to 28, 2023.

The session was attended by 203 members and 170 alternate members of the 20th CPC Central Committee. Deputy secretaries of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and leading officials of related departments attended as non-voting participants.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, delivered an important speech at the session which was presided over by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

At the session, the Central Committee heard and discussed the report on the work of the Political Bureau, presented by Xi Jinping on behalf of the Political Bureau. The session reviewed and adopted a list of proposed candidates for the leading positions of state institutions to be recommended to the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), and a list of proposed candidates for the leadership of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee to be recommended to the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee. The Political Bureau has extensively solicited opinions within and outside the Party for putting forward the lists, which have also been discussed time and again. The plenary session decided to recommend the two lists respectively to the presidium of the first session of the 14th NPC and the presidium of the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee.

The session deliberated and adopted a plan on reform of Party and state institutions. The plan was put forward on the basis of extensively soliciting opinions. Xi Jinping delivered explanatory remarks on the draft plan on reform of Party and state institutions. It was agreed at the session that part of the reform plan will be submitted to the first session of the 14th NPC for deliberation in accordance with due legal procedures.

The plenary session fully affirmed the work of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee since the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. It was unanimously agreed at the session that, in the face of a complex and severe international environment and the arduous task of carrying out domestic reform and securing development and stability, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee has comprehensively implemented the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. It has held high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, fully implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and adhered to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability. By doing so, it has better coordinated the domestic and international imperatives, the COVID-19 response and socioeconomic development, and the development and security priorities. With its leadership, a wave of enthusiasm for studying, publicizing and implementing the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress has swept across the country. It held a memorial meeting to mourn the passing of Comrade Jiang Zemin, and made preparatory work for the new term of the NPC and the National Committee of the CPPCC. It has dynamically optimized and adjusted the measures for COVID-19 prevention and control, vigorously pushed forward the steady economic recovery to promote high-quality development, and strengthened with solid efforts the building of socialist democracy and the rule of law as well as publicity, ideological and cultural work. It has solidly secured and improved people's well-being and resolutely safeguarded national security and social stability, launched the new journey for major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, and strengthened full and strict governance of the Party, making new strides in all aspects.

It was emphasized at the session that making the first sessions of the 14th NPC and the 14th CPPCC National Committee a success is of great significance to further mobilizing the entire Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to be united and strive for building a modern socialist country in all respects and realizing national rejuvenation on all fronts.

It was noted at the session that, since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has made deepening the reform of Party and state institutions an important task in modernizing China's system and capacity for governance. It has deepened the reform of Party and state institutions in accordance with the principles of upholding the Party's overall leadership, maintaining a people-centered philosophy, stressing optimization, coordination and high efficiency, and exercising law-based governance on all fronts. As a result, the functions of Party and state institutions have been transformed in a systematic and holistic manner, which has provided a strong guarantee for the Party and the country to make historic achievements and see historic changes in the pursuit of the cause of the Party and the country. Valuable experience has also been accumulated in this process for further deepening the reform of Party and state institutions.

It was pointed out at the session that important arrangements were made at the 20th CPC National Congress for deepening the reform of Party and state institutions, which is of great and far-reaching significance to building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. We must uphold Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the overarching guide, consider strengthening the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee as the pivot, and regard promoting the modernization of the national system and capacity for governance as the orientation. We must adhere to the general principle of pursuing progress while maintaining stability, adapt to the requirements for the coordinated implementation of the five-sphere integrated plan and the four-pronged comprehensive strategy, and adapt to the needs for building a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development. We must adopt a problem-oriented approach, coordinate the institutions of the CPC Central Committee, the NPC, the State Council, and the National Committee of the CPPCC, and coordinate the central and local authorities. We must deepen institutional reform in key areas to make the Party's leadership over socialist modernization more sound in institutional setup, more optimized in functional allocation, more refined in institutional mechanisms, and more efficient in operational management.

It was stressed at the session that all localities and departments, bearing in mind the overall advancement of the cause of the Party and the country, must fully recognize the importance and urgency of the reform of Party and state institutions. They must deeply understand the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, strengthen consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership; stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership, and consciously align their thoughts and actions with the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee. They must resolutely uphold the authority and seriousness of the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee, strengthen their confidence and resolve for reform, enhance organizational leadership, and faithfully implement the tasks of the reform of Party and state institutions.

It was pointed out at the session that thorough study, publicity and implementation of the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress is a top political task for the entire Party at present and for some time to come, and efforts should be made to further promote this task and see concrete results. We need to diversify and innovate the channels and approaches, and disseminate the guiding principles in such a way that they can be made popular with the people in Party and government departments, enterprises, public institutions, communities in urban and rural areas, schools, military units, various new types of economic and social organizations as well as online platforms, so that the guiding principles can truly win the hearts of the people. Officials should set a good example in fully studying, comprehending and implementing the guiding principles, thoroughly understand the significance of the great transformation over the past 10 years of this new era, gain a comprehensive command of the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as well as its stances, viewpoints and methods, and fully grasp the goals, tasks, strategic plans, and major measures for advancing the cause of the Party and the country on the new journey of the new era. We should formulate and implement specific plans and measures in light of the actual conditions of their regions and departments, and implement to the letter the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress.

It was emphasized at the session that at present, changes of a magnitude not seen in a century are accelerating across the world, which has entered a new period of turbulence and change. Our country has entered a period of development in which strategic opportunities, risks, and challenges are concurrent and uncertainties and unforeseen factors are rising, and we have to be ready to withstand high winds, choppy waters, and even dangerous storms. China's reform, development and stability still face many deep-seated problems, the triple pressures of shrinking demand, disrupted supply and weakening expectations are still relatively heavy, the foundation of economic recovery is still not solid, and various unexpected factors may occur at any time. All Party members must have firm confidence, maintain strategically sober-minded, meet challenges head on, and better coordinate domestic priorities with international priorities, COVID-19 response with social and economic development, and development and security imperatives to strive to achieve all the goals and tasks for this year. We should apply the new development philosophy in a comprehensive and accurate manner, accelerate efforts to create a new development pattern, and promote high-quality development. We should faithfully implement the CPC Central Committee's decisions and deployments on the COVID-19 prevention and control in the new phase, which has been downgraded under the management of Class B infectious diseases. We should make efforts to expand domestic demand, effectively improve the resilience and security level of the industrial and supply chains, continue to develop a more market-oriented, law-based, and international business environment, effectively forestall and defuse major economic and financial risks, and maintain a vigilant guard against systemic risks.

We must strive to guarantee and improve living standards, implement in detail the employment-first policy, ensure the basic livelihood of people in difficulty, strengthen the network of social security, address shortcomings in health and medical services, especially public services at the grassroots level in urban and rural areas, and improve the policy system for boosting birth rates. We must push forward all-round rural revitalization, consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, and prevent large-scale poverty from recurring.

It was pointed out at the plenary session that it is necessary to unswervingly deepen reform and opening up, focus closely on the goal of building a modern socialist country in all respects, introduce a series of strategic, creative and pace-setting reform measures, strengthen the synergy in advancing reform to achieve coordination and high efficiency, and make new breakthroughs in key areas. We must uphold and improve the basic socialist economic system, optimize the modern enterprise system with Chinese characteristics, strengthen and improve modern financial regulatory system, promote high-level opening up, and make overall plans for reforms in various fields. We should focus on improving the reform implementation mechanism, ensure that reform measures are implemented and effective, constantly enhance the momentum and vitality of socialist modernization, and better transform our institutional strengths into the outcomes of national governance.

The plenary session emphasized that we must thoroughly implement the strategic arrangements for Party building made at the 20th CPC National Congress, remain sober-minded and firm in addressing the unique difficulties faced by a large political party, improve the system for full and strict governance over the Party, take enhancing the Party's political building as the overarching principle, solidly promote all aspects of Party building, and promote the new great project of Party building in the new era in a thorough manner. The session called for thematic education activities on thoroughly learning and putting into practice Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in the whole Party. Efforts are required to reinforce theoretical study and application with scientific planning and meticulous organization, so as to achieve tangible results. It was agreed that after the change of terms, ideological and political education among leadership needs to be consolidated, democratic centralism should be strictly upheld to create a clean and upright political ecosystem, so that a vibrant environment can be developed, where all officials can unite and cooperate with each other, have a strong sense of responsibility and a good job can be done to achieve what should be achieved. We should rigorously tighten the disciplines and rules, relentlessly combat the Four Malfeasances of pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance, vigorously promote investigation and research, be realistic and pragmatic in doing our work, so as to make tangible achievements that withstand the test of the time and win people's support. We need to make coordinated efforts to ensure that officials do not dare, are not able, and have no desire to commit corruption, so as to win the tough and protracted battle against corruption.

The session called on the whole Party and people of all ethnic groups to unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. We should hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, carry forward the great founding spirit of the Party, and bear in mind that all of us in the Party must never forget our original aspiration and founding mission, that we must always stay modest, prudent, and hard-working, and that we must have the courage and ability to carry on our fight. We must be self-confident and self-reliant, uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, forge ahead and be resilient. We need to make solid progress in the development of Chinese modernization and make joint efforts to realize the goals and tasks set at the 20th CPC National Congress. ■

Xi Jinping presides over consultative meeting

BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a consultative meeting on Tuesday at Zhongnanhai in Beijing with the central committees of other political parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), and personages without party affiliation, who were informed of the plan on the reform of Party and state institutions, a list of proposed candidates for the leading positions of state institutions to be recommended to the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), and a list of proposed candidates for the leadership of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee to be recommended to the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee. The meeting was also held to hear their opinions on the above-mentioned issues.

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presided over the meeting and delivered an important speech.

Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting.

In the speech, Xi Jinping said that important arrangements were made at the 20th CPC National Congress for deepening the reform of Party and state institutions. They include specific requirements for deepening the reform of financial system, improving the system in which the Party Central Committee exercises unified leadership over science and technology work, optimizing the government responsibility system and organizational structure, improving the coordinating institutions for the Party Central Committee's decision-making on and deliberation of state affairs, and optimizing the allocation of staffing resources for Party and state institutions. Efforts were specified for Party building to guide community-level governance, for stepping up Party building in enterprises of mixed ownership and non-public enterprises, and for improving the management systems for Party building in trade associations, academic societies and chambers of commerce, among others. In order to implement these requirements made at the 20th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee has formulated the draft plan on the reform of Party and state institutions on the basis of in-depth study and analysis as well as extensive solicitation of opinions. After being reviewed and adopted at the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, part of the reform plan will be submitted to the first session of the 14th NPC for deliberation in accordance with due legal procedures. In general, the reform of Party and state institutions this time, highlighting key industries and fields, is more targeted and intensified, covering many areas and involving a wide range of interests. It focuses on resolving challenging issues that are of great significance and of great concern to society, which will have an important impact on the economic and social development.

Xi stressed that the first session of the 14th NPC and the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee are about to be held. The election of new leading officials of state institutions and the new leadership of the CPPCC National Committee is an important task of the two sessions this year. It is also an important issue that concerns the overall situation.

The CPC Central Committee attaches great importance to the personnel arrangement of the NPC and the National Committee of the CPPCC, and has made arrangements, discussed it within certain scope and solicited opinions as well. In deliberation, it was agreed that in deciding candidates for the new leadership of state institutions and the CPPCC National Committee, we should fully implement the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; thoroughly understand the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; strengthen consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership; stay confident in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping's core position on the CPC Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership. We must firmly stay on the path of socialist political advancement with Chinese characteristics, uphold the unity between the Party leadership, the running of the country by the people and law-based governance, strengthen the work of the NPC and the CPPCC National Committee, and unite forces from all sectors.

We must adhere to the principle of the Party managing and supervising officials, select officials on the basis of both integrity and ability, with more consideration given to integrity, and on the basis of merit regardless of background, apply the criteria for judging competent officials in the new era and the requirements of being loyal, upright and responsible, and set high standards of political commitment, integrity, and image for candidates. On the basis of fully listening to opinions, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee comprehensively considered the qualifications of candidates, various structural requirements and work needs before putting forward proposed lists of candidates, which were submitted to the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee for deliberation, Xi said.

Xi said he hoped that other political parties, the ACFIC and personages without party affiliation would thoroughly understand the great significance of the reform of Party and state institutions, align their thoughts and actions with the reform plan, and vigorously support the reform, so as to ensure the smooth completion of the tasks of the NPC and CPPCC National Committee sessions and make both sessions democratic, unified, cohesive and with an atmosphere of integrity.

Xi said he hoped that the central committees of the other political parties, the ACFIC and personages without party affiliation could have a clear understanding of the situation and convey confidence, unite and lead their members and contacts among the general public to closely follow, in both thinking and action, the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee, actively provide advice and suggestions, consolidate broad consensus, effectively dispel doubts, and educate and guide them in a targeted manner, in order to rally their strength and strive together to achieve the goals and tasks throughout the year.

Those who made speeches include Zheng Jianbang, chairperson of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, Ding Zhongli, chairperson of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League, Hao Mingjin, chairperson of the Central Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association, Cai Dafeng, chairperson of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, He Wei, chairperson of the Central Committee of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, Jiang Zuojun, chairperson of the Central Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party, Wu Weihua, chairperson of the Central Committee of Jiusan Society, Su Hui, chairperson of the Central Committee of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League, Gao Yunlong, chairperson of the ACFIC, and Li Wei, a representative of personages without party affiliation.

They believed that the plan on the reform of the Party and state institutions, and the proposed lists of candidates for the leading positions of state institutions and the leadership of the CPPCC National Committee were produced on the basis of extensive consultation and deliberation, reflecting the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and bearing on the advancement of the cause of the Party and the country on the new journey in the new era.

They expressed staunch support for the reform plan and the proposed lists, and put forward their advice and suggestions on the further reform of Party and state institutions, as well as on endeavors to support strengthening the self-improvement of non-CPC parties.

Wang Chen, Shi Taifeng, Li Ganjie, He Lifeng, Zhang Qingli and Chen Xi, together with officials in charge of relevant central departments, were present at the meeting.

Non-CPC members including Chen Zhu, Wan Gang, Chen Xiaoguang, Gu Shengzu, Liu Xincheng, Shao Hong, He Baoxiang, Wang Guangqian, Qin Boyong, Zhu Yongxin, Yang Zhen, Zhang Endi, Li Yuefeng, and Zhou Zhonghe also attended the meeting. ■

Xi Jinping calls for strengthening basic research to solidify self-reliance in science and technology

BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, presided over the third group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on strengthening basic research on Tuesday afternoon. Xi stressed that strengthening basic research is an imperative for higher-level self-reliance and greater strength in science and technology, and is the only path to building China into a world leader in science and technology. Party committees and governments at all levels should make it a priority to place promoting basic research on the agenda of science and technology work, step up coordination and policy support, so as to promote the high-quality development of basic research.

Professor Gong Qihuang, president of Peking University and an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a lecture on this issue and put forward suggestions. After listening to the lecture, members of the Political Bureau had a discussion.

Xi made an important speech after listening to the lecture and the discussion. He pointed out that the Party and the government have always attached importance to basic research. Our country has made major achievements in this area since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and, especially since the reform and opening up in 1978. At present, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is advancing rapidly. Interdisciplinary research and integration are progressing, and scientific research paradigms are undergoing important transformations. Science and technology are becoming intertwined with social and economic development at a faster pace, and the transformation cycle of basic research into application and commercial value has been significantly shortened. International competition in science and technology is moving closer to the frontier of basic research. To respond to international sci-tech competition, achieve higher-level self-reliance and greater strength in science and technology, foster a new development pattern, and promote high-quality development, it is urgent to strengthen basic research and address key technological challenges from the source and the bottom, Xi noted.

Xi stressed that we must strengthen the forward-looking, strategic and systematic layout of basic research, which is the initial end of the scientific research chain from research to application and then to production. Only when a solid foundation is laid, will the sci-tech building be built tall. We must adhere to the principles of targeting global scientific and technological frontiers, serving the economy, meeting major national needs, and striving to improve people's lives and health. We must place emphasis on goal-oriented research as well as the freedom to experiment. We must integrate the frontier science and technology in the world with the major national strategic needs and economic and social development goals. Efforts should be made to coordinate frontier questions raised in light of the law of scientific progress with theoretical questions drawn from major applied research, and sum up key scientific questions in basic research. We should keep abreast of the sci-tech trends and the strategic needs of the country, strengthen feasibility studies, selection and evaluation of major basic research projects, give full respect to the opinions of scientists, grasp the general trends and make "a good first move."

We should boost China's strength in strategic science and technology, and promote strategy-oriented systematic basic research, frontier-oriented exploratory basic research and market-oriented applied basic research in an organized manner. We should give full play to the guiding role of national laboratories, the organizing role of national research institutes, the role of advanced-level research universities as a leading force, and the role of leading sci-tech enterprises as those setting, taking the "exams" and reviewing the "results." We should optimize the layout of basic disciplines, support the development of key, emerging, less-popular and weak disciplines, and promote the integration of disciplines as well as interdisciplinary research, so as to build a high-quality discipline system with comprehensive and balanced development.

Xi noted that the world has entered an era of "big science," in which basic research is becoming more and more organized, and thus the impact of institutional support and policy guidance on the output of basic research is becoming increasingly stronger. It is therefore imperative to deepen reform of systems and mechanisms of basic research, so as to give better play to the driving and leading role of institutions and policies in value and strategy. We should steadily increase financial investment in basic research, encourage enterprises to increase investment through various methods such as tax cuts, encourage non-governmental sectors to invest through diverse channels such as scientific funds or donations, improve the funding capacity of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and its joint funds, so as to establish and improve an investment mechanism for basic research which combines both competitive support and stable support.

We should optimize the support system for the basic research within the national science and technology plan, improve the mechanisms for the organization, submission, assessment and decision-making of basic research projects, adopt differentiated and classified management as well as international and domestic peer-reviews, organize coordinated efforts to tackle key scientific problems, encourage studies based on free exploration and non-consensus innovation.

We should well handle the relations between a new "whole-nation system" and the market mechanism. In line with the long cycle of basic research, we should refine evaluation and incentive system for scientific and technological study, application and transformation system for findings, salary system for scientific and technological personnel. Long-term and stable support should be provided to innovation centers, preponderant teams and key focuses for basic research, with an aim of establishing cradles for initial innovation and building a force to spearhead basic research.

Xi stressed that a national laboratories system with Chinese characteristics should be established in a collaborated manner, research centers for basic scientific disciplines should be founded and a new information-based platform for scientific research should be deployed in advance, so that a backbone network for basic research can be established. We need to scientifically plan the layout for major scientific and technological infrastructure that is forward-looking and leading, strategically oriented and supports application. We should strengthen supervision during and after the infrastructure construction, improve all-cycle management, and promote openness and sharing as well as operational efficiency.

It is important to win the critical battle in developing scientific and technological apparatus, operating systems and basic software domestically. Scientific research institutions, universities and enterprises should be encouraged to launch joint projects for breakthroughs, with a view to providing more domestically-developed alternatives to those imported devices and apparatus in a large scale, so that we might be able to use at an early date independently-developed research platforms and apparatus to solve problems facing key basic research.

Xi pointed out that strengthening basic research ultimately depends on high-quality talented researchers. So efforts must be made to build an institutionalized and high-level platform to cultivate talented personnel for basic research, so that an increasing number of such research personnel can be trained.

He stressed that support from various talent training plans for basic research talents must be beefed up, strategic scientists must be cultivated and used, young scientific and technological talents should be supported to shoulder important duties, and the teams of leading scientific and technological personnel and first-class innovation teams should be continuously expanded. The mechanism for differentiated evaluation of basic research talents must be optimized and so must the mechanism that provides long-term support for them, and leading scientific and technological talents should be given greater say in terms of human, financial and material resources and the choice of technical routes, so that an evaluation system that conforms to the law of basic research and the law of talent growth can be established. Efforts must be made to improve the academic atmosphere and conduct of scientific research, guide scientific and technological personnel to abandon the style of boasting and exaggeration, and not to be impetuous, so that they can make persistent efforts with more than enough patience.

We should adhere to the approach of independent cultivation of basic research talents, thoroughly implement Middle School Talents Program, Strengthening Basic Disciplines Plan, and Top-Notch Student Training Program in Basic Disciplines, and optimize the education system of basic disciplines. We should give full play to the role of universities, especially world-class universities, as the main force in the cultivation of basic research talents, strengthen the fostering of high-level talents urgently needed by the country, and continuously create a large reserve force for basic research.

Xi stressed that, to overcome common development challenges, humanity needs international cooperation, openness, and sharing more than ever before. We should build a platform for international cooperation in basic research, set up a global-oriented scientific research fund, step up the opening-up of the national science and technology programs. We should broaden and deepen joint scientific research between China and foreign countries on climate change, energy security, bio-security, outer space utilization and other global issues. We should have forward-looking plans and deeply participate in global science and technology governance, join or initiate the establishment of international science and technology organizations, and support domestic universities, research institutes, and science and technology organizations to establish connections with international counterparts. We should strive to promote the openness, trust and cooperation of the international science and technology community, make new and greater contributions to the progress of human civilization with more major original innovations and breakthroughs in key core technology, and at the same time effectively safeguard the interests of China's scientific and technological security.

Xi pointed out that generations of science and technology personnel have jointly shaped China's unique innovation ecology through their unrelenting pursuit of the spirit embodied in the development of the atomic and hydrogen bombs, missiles, artificial satellites, manned spaceflight, lunar exploration and the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System in the new era, together with the "westward relocation spirit" and the spirit of scientists, becoming an inexhaustible driving force for the development of basic research.

It is necessary to vigorously promote the scientific spirit of pursuing truth and scaling new heights throughout society, widely publicize role models and deeds emerging in the fields of basic research and other science and technology fields, educate and guide science and technology personnel to inherit the glorious traditions of the previous generations of scientists who devoted themselves to the country and cared for the people, and base their research on the land of China.

It is also necessary to strengthen the development of China's capacity for science popularization, thoroughly implement the action to boost the scientific literacy of the whole society, disseminate scientific knowledge and showcase technological achievements through both online and offline channels, and establish a social trend of love for and advocacy of science.

In the work to ease the burden of excessive homework and off-campus tutoring for students undergoing compulsory education, efforts should be made to promote science education, stimulate the curiosity, imagination and exploratory desires of young people, and cultivate a group of young people with the potential to become scientists and the willingness to devote themselves to scientific research.

Lastly, Xi emphasized that officials at all levels should learn science and technology knowledge, carry forward the scientific spirit, proactively take the lead in solving difficulties for science and technology personnel, reducing their burden and encouraging them, and earnestly implement the Party Central Committee's series of strategic deployments on science and technology innovation. ■

Full text: 20th CPC Central Committee to hold second plenary session

BEIJING, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The second plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee will be held from Feb. 26 to 28 in Beijing, according to a decision made at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Tuesday. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting.

At the meeting, the Political Bureau's work report to the CPC Central Committee was discussed.

The Political Bureau discussed the draft plan on reform of Party and state institutions, and decided that the draft plan, after being revised in accordance with the opinions put forward at the meeting, will be submitted to the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee for review.

It was pointed out at the meeting that since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has made deepening the reform of Party and state institutions an important task in modernizing China's system and capacity for governance. It has comprehensively deepened the reform of Party and state institutions in accordance with the principles of upholding the Party's overall leadership, maintaining a people-centered philosophy, stressing optimization, coordination and high efficiency, and exercising law-based governance on all fronts. As a result, the functions of Party and state institutions have been transformed in a systematic and holistic manner, which have provided a strong guarantee for the Party and the country to make historic achievements and see historic changes in the pursuit of the cause of the Party and the country. Valuable experience has also been accumulated in this process for further deepening the reform of Party and state institutions.

It was stressed at the meeting that the 20th CPC National Congress has made important arrangements for deepening the reform of Party and state institutions, which is of great and far-reaching significance to building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. We must uphold Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the overarching guide, consider strengthening the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee as the pivot, and regard promoting the modernization of the national system and capacity for governance as the orientation. We must adhere to the general principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, adapt to the requirements for the coordinated implementation of the five-sphere integrated plan and the four-pronged comprehensive strategy, and adapt to the needs for building a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development. We must adopt a problem-oriented approach, coordinate the institutions of the CPC Central Committee, the National People's Congress (NPC), the State Council, and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and coordinate the central and local authorities. We must deepen institutional reform in key areas to make the Party's leadership over socialist modernization more sound in institutional setup, more optimized in functional allocation, more refined in institutional mechanisms, and more efficient in operational management.

The meeting discussed candidates for the leading positions of state institutions to be recommended to the first session of the 14th NPC and candidates for the leadership of the national committee of the CPPCC to be recommended to the first session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC.

It was decided at the meeting that the aforementioned content will be on the agenda of the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

The draft report on the work of the government, which will be submitted by the State Council to the first session of the 14th NPC for deliberation, was discussed at the meeting.

It was agreed at the meeting that 2022 represents a year of historic significance to the Party and our country. The 20th CPC National Congress was successfully held, and a grand blueprint was drawn up at the congress for building a modern socialist country in all respects.

The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has brought together the Chinese people of all ethnic groups and led them in meeting obstacles and difficulties head on to implement the requirements that COVID-19 must be contained, economic growth be stabilized and development safe, making greater efforts in macro regulation, and securing overall stability in social and economic development.

The past five years have been truly momentous and extraordinary. We have responded effectively to difficulties, risks and challenges, efficiently coordinated COVID-19 response with socioeconomic development, eradicated absolute poverty and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects as scheduled, achieving impressive advances in the country's economic and social development.

It was stressed at the meeting that this year marks the first year of implementing the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress. For the government to deliver, we must, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress.

In line with the arrangements made at the Central Economic Work Conference, we should solidly advance Chinese modernization, adhere to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, accelerate the efforts to foster a new development pattern and focus on promoting high-quality development. We should also better balance domestic circumstances with international situation, coordinate epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development, and development with security imperatives. We should comprehensively deepen reform and opening up, boost market confidence, integrate the implementation of strategy to expand domestic demand with the efforts to deepen supply-side structural reform, give priority to the work of ensuring steady growth, employment, and stable prices, effectively forestall and defuse major risks, promote the overall improvement in economic work to achieve both qualitative and quantitative growth, so as to keep improving people's livelihood, ensure overall social stability and make a good start on building a modern socialist country in all respects.

It was stressed at the meeting that it is imperative to fully implement the decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee, pursue progress while ensuring stability, implement proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy, strengthen policy coordination, and form a synergy to promote high-quality development.

Efforts should be made to expand domestic demand, speed up the establishment of a modern industrial system, and effectively implement the policy that the public sector must be unswervingly consolidated and developed and the development of the non-public sector must be unswervingly encouraged, supported and guided. Efforts should be intensified to attract and utilize foreign investment, effectively forestall and defuse major economic and financial risks, stabilize food production and promote rural revitalization, boost the green transformation of development models, guarantee basic livelihood and develop social undertakings, and strive to accomplish this year's goals and tasks of economic and social development.

The government must intensify its self-improvement efforts and vigorously conduct research and study.

Other issues were also discussed at the meeting. ■

Xi Jinping delivers speech at meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on COVID-19 prevention and control work

BEIJING, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a meeting on Feb. 16 to hear a report on the recent COVID-19 prevention and control work. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting and delivered an important speech.

It was pointed out at the meeting that over the past more than three years, China has undertaken an extraordinary journey in its fight against COVID-19. The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has always put the people and their lives first, and has united and led the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups to fight COVID-19 with one heart and one mind. With a strong sense of responsibility and strategic resolve, we have optimized and adjusted the COVID-19 prevention and control measures in light of the evolving situation, and effectively balanced pandemic containment with economic and social development. As a result, we have succeeded in preventing the widespread prevalence of variants that are more virulent and fatal, effectively protecting people's safety and health, and buying us precious time for winning the battle against the pandemic. Since November 2022, we have been optimizing our response measures to focus on safeguarding health and preventing severe cases, and secured a smooth transition within a relatively short period of time. As a result, more than 200 million people were treated and nearly 800,000 patients in severe condition received effective treatment. China's mortality rate of COVID-19 has been kept at the lowest level globally. We have scored a major and decisive victory in our response to COVID-19. China has created a remarkable feat in the history of human civilization, in which a highly populous nation has successfully pulled through a pandemic. Practices have proved that the Party Central Committee's key assessments of the epidemic situation, its major decisions about the prevention and control work, and important adjustments it has made to the response strategies are absolutely correct and recognized by the people. That explains why remarkable progress has been made.

It was stressed at the meeting that the overall situation of COVID-19 response is good nationwide, and the country is steadily entering a new phase of COVID-19 prevention and control, which has been downgraded under the management of Class B infectious diseases. However, the global COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, and the virus is still mutating.

All departments and local authorities should, with a strong sense of responsibility, thoroughly review the experience and practices of the past three years, especially those implemented in recent period, improve relevant mechanisms and measures, strengthen the COVID-19 prevention and control work in the new phase, build a stronger health service system, and firmly consolidate what has been achieved.

The meeting called for earnestly implementing the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee, stressing that local authorities, relevant departments, employers and individuals should strictly shoulder their own responsibilities. Particular attention should be paid to key links of pandemic prevention and control, those at high risk from COVID-19 should be put under strict management, and more work should be done to strengthen response measures on the basis of what has been achieved.

Efforts must be made to strengthen the capability for epidemic monitoring and routine warning, improve the epidemic monitoring and information reporting system, so that timely and accurate early warnings can be issued and necessary prevention and control measures taken in emergency. The next phase of vaccination work should be arranged in a scientific manner based on virus mutations and vaccine efficacy, and work should be done to have more elderly people vaccinated. Endeavors should be made toward building a tiered, multi-level, and referral-based healthcare system in a regular manner. Work should continue to optimize the distribution of resources, and build stronger three-tiered healthcare networks with public medical institutions as the mainstay.

It was stressed at the meeting that efforts should be made to better secure the production and supply of medical materials, improve the reserve system and catalog, consolidate and improve the mechanism responsible for coordinated allocation of personnel and supplies, and effectively make up the deficiencies in terms of capacity, medicines, equipment and other aspects at the primary level. Breakthroughs in scientific and technological research in the health field need to be achieved in a well-coordinated way, and the strength from all parties should be pooled to improve the technological level in this regard. It is important to cherish what has been achieved in the fight against COVID-19, tell well stories about China's fight against the virus, inspire the entire Party and people of all ethnic groups to have confidence in prevailing over whatever adversities in the future and march forward by overcoming all obstacles on the new journey in the new era.

Other matters were also discussed at the meeting. ■

Xi Jinping stresses accelerating the establishment of a new development pattern when presiding over a political bureau group study session

BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held the second group study session on accelerating the establishment of a new pattern of development on the afternoon of January 31. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the session and stressed that accelerating the establishment of such a pattern is a strategic decision to realize the Second Centenary Goal and ensure both development and security, as well as a strategic plan to seize the initiative of future development. Only by accelerating the establishment of a new development pattern will China be able to consolidate the foundation for its economy and strengthen the security and stability of its development. And only by doing so will China be able to better survive, compete, develop and sustain its progress amid all sorts of predictable and unpredictable storms and high winds, so as to ensure that the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will not be delayed or interrupted, and the goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects will be realized.

During the session, members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee conducted self-study and shared work experiences with each other. Yin Li, Liu Guozhong, He Lifeng, Zhang Guoqing, Chen Jining and Huang Kunming made speeches about their work in the fields and regions they are in charge of, and shared their views with each other.

Xi Jinping delivered an important speech. He pointed out that in recent years, some achievements have been made through arduous efforts in establishing a new development pattern, with ideological consensus being consolidated, work foundation being cemented, and policies and mechanisms being improved. However, there is still a long way to go to have the new development pattern established in an all-round way. We must adopt a problem-oriented approach and apply systems thinking, work hard to resolve the major problems that constrain the building of a new pattern of development, comprehensively deepen reform, promote practical and institutional innovation, and constantly carry on strengths and make up deficiencies.

Xi noted that, efforts must be made to coordinate the expansion of domestic demand and deepening of supply-side structural reform, so as to create a dynamic balance at a higher level, in which demand drives supply and supply creates demand, and achieve a virtuous cycle of the national economy. We must resolutely implement the outline of the strategic plan for expanding domestic demand, form a complete domestic demand system as soon as possible, and strive to expand consumption demand supported by income, investment demand with reasonable returns, and financial demand with principal and debt constraints. We must establish and improve a long-term mechanism for expanding residents' consumption, so that residents can consume with a stable income, dare to consume without worries, and are willing to consume due to the excellent consumption environment and strong sense of gain. We must improve and enlarge the investment mechanism, expand the space for effective investment, appropriately deploy new infrastructure construction in advance, increase investment in high-tech industries and strategic emerging industries, and continue to stimulate the vitality of private investment. We must continue to deepen supply-side structural reform, promote scientific and technological innovation and institutional innovation, break through blockages, stuck points and vulnerabilities in supply-side constraints, and promote the competitiveness and security of the industrial chain and supply chain, meet existing demand with independent, controllable and high-quality supply, and create and guide new demand.

Xi noted that it is imperative to move faster toward self-reliance in science and technology so as to relieve the stranglehold some countries have tightened on China's development of core technologies. We must improve our new system for mobilizing resources nationwide, build up China's strategic scientific and technological strengths and ensure better allocation of innovation-related resources to make our country a global pacesetter in major sci-tech areas and pioneer in advanced interdisciplinary fields, and ensure that China will become a major world hub for science and innovation as soon as possible. We must ensure an effective coordination of the strategy for invigorating China through science and education with the workforce development strategy and the innovation-driven development strategy, and promote the integration of the development of education, sci-tech innovation and personnel training to form a virtuous cycle. We must adhere to the unified design of original innovation, integrated innovation and open innovation to ensure that they are well coordinated. We must also realize the unified deployment of innovation, industrial and talent chains so that they can be deeply integrated.

Xi stressed that a modernized industrial system is the foundation of the new pattern of development, as orderly links between industries are a prerequisite for smooth economic circulation. In pursuing economic growth, we must continue to place emphasis on the development of the real economy, take solid steps to advance new industrialization and move faster to boost China's strengths in manufacturing, product quality, cyberspace and digital development, so as to build internationally competitive digital industry clusters. To keep with the general trend of industrial development, we should encourage industries with weak links to make up the deficiency, industries with strong advantages to further develop, traditional industries to upgrade, and emerging industries to build industrial chains, so as to make industrial development more sustainable and competitive, he said. We should improve the distribution of productive capacity, promote the orderly transfer of key industries at home and abroad, and support enterprises' deep involvement in the global industrial division of labor and cooperation. We should also promote deeper integration of domestic and foreign industries, and build a modern industrial system that is independent, controllable, safe, reliable, and highly competitive.

Xi pointed out that coordinated development between urban and rural areas and between regions should be promoted to increase the coverage of domestic circulation. We should give full play to rural areas as a consumer market and factors market and comprehensively promote rural revitalization. We should also promote urbanization with county towns as a pivot, promote integrated urban and rural development, strengthen economic ties between urban and rural areas, and smooth economic circulation between urban and rural areas. The local self-circulation and regional barriers should be prevented and eliminated to form a real national unified market, he said. We should promote deeper integration of the strategies for coordinated regional development, major regional strategies, and functional zoning strategies, optimize the distribution of major productive capacity, and promote the proper flow and efficient aggregation of various factors of production to boost the domestic circulation of the economy.

Xi stressed the need to further reform and opening up, increase the driving force and vitality of the domestic circulation and its interaction with the international market. We should advance reforms for the market-based allocation of production factors, put in place a high-standard market system, and to accelerate the building of a unified national market. It is also imperative to refine the systems underpinning the market economy, such as those for property rights protection, market access, fair competition, and social credit, take stronger action against monopolies and unfair competition, and conduct law-based regulation and guidance to promote the healthy development of capital, so as to create a favorable environment for all types of business entities to invest and start their own businesses, and stimulate their vitality, Xi said. He also noted the need to promote high-level opening up and steadily push for institutional opening up regarding rules, regulations, management and standards, so as to strengthen China's voice in the global economic circulation. We will promote the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, actively participate in the negotiation on international economic and trade rules, promote the formation of an open, pluralistic and stable world economic order, and create conditions for realizing the linkage and circulation between the resources in domestic and international markets. ■

Full text of Xi Jinping's speech at 2023 Spring Festival gathering

BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech at the Spring Festival gathering at the Great Hall of the People on Friday.

The following is the full text of the speech:

Speech at the 2023 Spring Festival gathering

Jan. 20, 2023

by Xi Jinping

Comrades and Friends,

The Year of the Rabbit is coming. Today, we are gathered here to bid farewell to the old year and usher in a new year.

First, on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council, I wish to extend the best holiday wishes to all of you. I wish Chinese people of all ethnic groups, compatriots in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan, and overseas Chinese a happy New Year! Happy New Year to you all!

The Year of the Tiger, which is about to pass, is a very important year in the development history of the Party and the country. Confronted with the complex and unpredictable international situation and arduous domestic tasks of continuing reform and development and maintaining stability, the entire Party, the military, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups rose to the challenge and worked together. With their energy, courage and perseverance, they wrote a new chapter in the development of socialist modernization.

We held the 20th CPC National Congress successfully and drew up a grand blueprint for comprehensively building a modern socialist country. The entire Party, the military, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups have embarked on a new journey in high spirits and are heading towards a new goal.

Over the year, we have fully implemented the new development philosophy, adhered to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully implemented the requirements for keeping the epidemic at bay, stabilizing the economy and ensuring safe development, and accelerated the efforts to foster a new development pattern and pursue high-quality development. We have maintained economic growth, achieved a bumper harvest of grain, kept employment and prices stable, and firmly ensured people's well-being. We have also consolidated our gains in poverty elimination, made one achievement after another in the fields of sci-tech innovation, kept improving the ecological environment, taken solid steps to modernize the national defense and the armed forces, made further efforts to exercise full and rigorous governance over the Party, and maintained overall social stability.

We have put people and their lives first and kept optimizing the epidemic prevention and control measures according to the mutation of the virus and the anti-epidemic situation, so as to protect people's lives and health to the greatest extent and minimize the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development. Now, epidemic prevention and control still requires much efforts, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, as long as we work together and persevere, we will surely win the final victory.

We successfully hosted the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, respectively, presented a streamlined, safe and splendid Games to the world, and achieved great achievement in organizing the Games and our athletes also achieved a success in competition, making Beijing the first city holding both Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games in the world.

We held a grand celebration marking the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. Hong Kong and Macao have remained prosperous and stable. We have been fighting resolutely in major struggles against separatism and foreign interference, maintaining the initiative to steer cross-Strait relations. We have vigorously advanced major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics and made many friends, providing the volatile global environment with stability.

The achievements of this year did not come easily, and were made by the Party and the people together. What has been achieved has shown that as long as the Party and the people stand together, think together and work together, no storm can shake our iron will, and no difficulty can stop our sonorous steps.

Comrades and Friends,

2023 is the first year to fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, with both hopes and challenges. We will take keeping stability the top priority, and seek progress while maintaining stability. We will better balance both domestic and international situations, coordinate epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development, and development with security. We will comprehensively deepen reform and opening up, strive to achieve an overall upturn in economic performance, and continue to improve people's lives. As long as we work hard with firm confidence, we will get off to a good start on our new journey.

The greatest truths are the simplest, and hard work is the key. The new journey is a long one full of glories and dreams where there is no shortcut, but hard work. We should come down to earth, work hard, and not fall into fantasies or distractions. We should be honest and studious, respect the reality, do not act against rules or work recklessly. We should seek truth and be pragmatic, focus on the actual effect, and do not make superficial work or show. Those who work will succeed, and those who walk will arrive at their destination. A person of action will leave a good name in history. We created a glorious past with hard work, and we will create a better future in the same way.

Comrades and Friends,

In traditional Chinese culture, rabbit (tu) is called Ruitu (auspicious rabbit) or Yutu (jade rabbit), representing quickness and wit, purity and kindness, peace and beauty. The auspicious rabbit bodes well for China, which is increasingly peaceful, and full of vigor and vitality. In the lunar year of the Rabbit, I hope that the people of the whole country, especially the young people, sprint up and run at full speed like a moving rabbit to exhibit their ability and elegance in whatever work they do.

At this time of family reunion, there are many people who are still at work, leaving their shining footprints in the great journey of building the Chinese dream together. We pay tribute to these selfless contributors!

Finally, I wish you all a happy family reunion, good health, good luck in the year of Rabbit and all the best!

Thank you all! ■