The Communist Party of China wrapped up a crucial meeting on Wednesday, installing a new generation of leaders.
"The congress elected a new Central Committee of the Party and replaced older leaders with younger ones," Hu Jintao said in an address to 2,307 delegates at the closing of the 18th National Congress of the CPC at the Great Hall of People.
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Hu Jintao (second right), Jiang Zemin (right), Wu Bangguo (center), Jia Qinglin (second left) and Xi Jinping (left) vote with a show of hands at the closing of the 18th National Congress of the CPC in Beijing on Wednesday. [Xu Jingxing/China Daily] |
"Ahead of us are unprecedented opportunities for development as well as risks and challenges unknown before," Hu, the Chinese president, said. "The whole Party must keep in mind the trust the people have placed in us and the great expectations they have of us."
According to the Party Constitution, the highest bodies of the CPC are the National Congress and the Central Committee it elects.
Delegates to the congress began to review a list of candidates for the Party leadership on Sunday.
Elected to the new, or 18th, Central Committee were Vice-President Xi Jinping and Vice-Premier Li Keqiang.
Altogether, there are 205 members and 171 alternate members in the new Central Committee. This compares with 204 members and 167 alternate members elected five years ago.
Xi and Li were members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 17th Central Committee.
The other members of the Standing Committee — Hu Jintao, 69, Wu Bangguo, 71, Wen Jiabao, 70, Jia Qinglin, 72, Li Changchun, 68, He Guoqiang, 69, Zhou Yongkang, 69 — will not remain on the new Central Committee.
Among those voted to the new Central Committee are Wang Qishan, Liu Yunshan, Liu Yandong, Li Yuanchao, Wang Yang, Zhang Gaoli, Zhang Dejiang and Yu Zhengsheng, who were also members of the Political Bureau of the 17th CPC Central Committee.
Nearly half of the new Central Committee are newcomers, indicating that the CPC, founded 91 years ago and the world's largest political party, has again completed its central leadership transition, the Xinhua News Agency said on Wednesday.
The new Central Committee will elect the new Politburo and its Standing Committee as well as the general secretary at its first plenum on Thursday morning.
The congress, held every five years, endorsed a resolution supporting the report delivered on Thursday by Hu on behalf of the 17th Central Committee.
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Women delegates pose for souvenir photographs after the closing of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on Wednesday. ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY |
"We are convinced that all the decisions and plans adopted and all the achievements made at the congress, which are of major current and far-reaching historical significance, will play an important role in guiding the all-around development of the great cause of sociali with Chinese characteristics and the great new undertaking of Party building," Hu said at the closing of the Party congress.
The report was hailed as a political blueprint for completing the building of a "moderately prosperous society in all aspects" and accelerating socialist modernization.
The resolution said the congress agrees on the plan in the report for promoting socialist economic, political, cultural, social and ecological progress in China.
It said that to achieve new victories for sociali with Chinese characteristics, China must persevere with reform and opening-up, uphold social fairness and justice, promote social harmony, pursue peaceful development and stick to the leadership of the Party.
It called for strenuous efforts to establish a sound mechani for conducting checks and oversight of the exercise of power, thereby advancing socialist political progress.
"Combating corruption and promoting political integrity is a clear-cut and long-term political commitment of the Party and a major political issue of great concern to the people," it said.
"We must make unremitting efforts to combat corruption, promote integrity and stay vigilant against degeneration."
It urged the whole Party to be keenly aware of potential dangers, be modest and prudent, guard against arrogance and impetuosity and remain clearheaded.
"We must be innovative in our thinking, uphold truth and correct mistakes, and always maintain energy and drive," it said.
Delegates to the congress also approved an amendment to the Party Constitution that enshrines the historical position of the Scientific Outlook on Development and makes it a part of the Party's guidelines for action.
The delegates also passed a resolution on the work report of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
