China vows to press forward with economic reforms and opening-up

Chinese President Hu Jintao delivers a

speech during the conference to mark the 30th anniversary of the convening

of the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th Communist Party of China (CPC)

Central Committee, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of

China, Dec. 18, 2008.(Chinese media Photo)
Photo

Gallery

BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Chinese media) -- President Hu Jintao said on

Thursday that China must press forward the reform and opening-up drive, which in

the past 30 years turned the once poverty-stricken country into one of the

world's largest economies.

Hu said significant changes in China proved that the

direction and path of reform and opening-up are "completely correct".

"Standing still and regressing will lead only to a

dead end," Hu told an audience of more than 6,000, which included former

President Jiang Zemin and other Chinese leaders Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia

Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang.

The conference to mark the 30th

anniversary of the convening of the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th

Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee is held at the Great Hall

of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 18, 2008. Hu Jintao (5th

L front), Jiang Zemin (5th R front), Wu Bangguo (4th L front), Wen Jiabao

(4th R front), Jia Qinglin (3rd L front), Li Changchun (3rd R front), Xi

Jinping (2nd L front), Li Keqiang (2nd R front), He Guoqiang (1st L

front), and Zhou Yongkang (1st R front) attended the conference. (Chinese media

Photo)
Photo

Gallery

The event, which started at the Great Hall of the

People in downtown Beijing at 10:00 a.m., was held to commemorate the 30th

anniversary of the 3rd plenary session of the 11th Central Committee of the

Communist Party of China (CPC). It was at that meeting when the Party decided to

open up the country and reform its moribund economy.

The decision, which saved China from an economic

breakdown after the chaotic 10-year Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), was

masterminded by Deng Xiaoping who was later called "chief architect" of the

reforms, together with his comrades who were bold enough to change the old

norms.

Hu said the meeting 30 years ago ushered in a new

historic period of reform and opening-up, marking the most significant turning

point in the Party's history since the New China was founded in 1949.

Thursday's anniversary event fully recognized the

significance and great achievements of the reforms and emphasized that the

country will continued the development with "Chinese characteristics."

TREMENDOUS CHANGES

When Gu Xiulian visited France and Germany during a

study tour of textile machinery in the summer of 1978, she was taken back by the

amount of western affluence.

"I was vice minister of the State Planning Commission

then, but even I had to buy food with stamps, even for a bottle of sesame jam,"

said Gu, vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's

Congress from 2003 to 2008.

"At that time people didn't have enough food and

clothing," she said. "Ordinary people suffered most."

Thirty years after the trip, the average annual

disposable income of Chinese urban residents grew 6.5 times from 343 yuan (50.4

U.S. dollars) in 1978 to 13,786 yuan in 2007.

That's just one of several changes since the country

went through reform and opening-up.

Over the past 30 years, China has maintained an

average annual GDP growth rate of 9.8 percent, more than three times the world

average, President Hu said.

Gross domestic product (GDP) soared from a mere 360

billion yuan (about 52 billion U.S. dollars) in 1978 to 24.95 trillion yuan in

2007, making China the world's fourth-largest economy.

The country's poor population was reduced from 250

million in 1978 to 14.79 million in 2007.

"The shortage economy, which had troubled China for a

long time before the reform and opening-up drive, has been changed

fundamentally," Hu said.

The President said the past 30 years were a period in

which China's national strength rose by a big margin. He also said Chinese

people are receiving more tangible benefits than ever before.

"Reform and opening-up are the fundamental causes of

all the achievements and progress we have made," Hu said.

CHALLENGES REMAIN

Hu also cautioned the Party and the Chinese people to

remain realistic.

"Comparing our achievements with our long-range goals

and people's expectations of a better life, we have no reason to feel content

and stop moving forward."

Hu said China still faced many challenges, including

a low level of industrial innovation, a weak agricultural foundation,

less-developed rural areas and deficiencies with Party and government work.

Given the current world situation, especially the

escalation and spread of the international financial crisis, China must continue

to firmly focus on economic development, Hu said.

"We must earnestly implement the measures (which the

government has announced) to further expand domestic demand, boost economic

growth as well as cope properly with the international financial crisis and

various risks in the internal economy to maintain stable and relatively rapid

growth of the economy," Hu said.

China announced various measures to boost economic

growth. Those include reducing interest rates, formulating 10 major measures to

expand domestic demand and investing 4 trillion yuan within two years.

Chi Fulin, the executive director of the China

(Hainan) Reform and Development Research Institute, said the remaining

challenges the country is facing are all "hard ones" and in ways similar to

those 30 years ago.

The Cultural Revolution led to political and economic

turmoil, which propelled the CPC to choose reform and opening-up as a way out.

Chi said the unexpected international financial crisis will also force China to

continue to reform.

STABILITY STRESSED WHILE DEVELOPMENT STILL BE THE

GOAL

While reviewing China's 30-years of growth, Hu listed

10 "musts" the Party has been doing as well as should continue to do.

One of them is to emphasize reform and social

stability equally.

"The depth of reform and the speed of development

must not go beyond society's capacity to bear," Hu said. "Reform is the impetus.

Development is the goal. Stability is the precondition."

"Without stability, nothing could be done. Even

achievements already made could be lost," Hu warned.

Hu urged the Party to keep the current "key strategic

opportunities," national security and the interests of the majority in mind.

Another "must", Hu said is to continuously push

forward political reform so as to provide a system and legal guarantee for

China's reform and modernization drive.

He said the CPC had in the past 30 years given equal

emphasis to political structural reform and economic restructuring and will

continue reforms in the political system to provide institutional and legal

support for the modernization drive.

He said "people's democracy is the lifeline of

socialism. People's democratic rights to be masters of their own affairs are the

essence and lie in the core of China's democratic politics. Without democracy,

there would be no socialism or socialist modernization."

CHINA'S OWN PATH

In his speech, Hu attributed China's achievements and

progress over the past 30 years to the fact that China has "pioneered a

socialist path with Chinese characteristics" and "formed a socialist theory

system with Chinese characteristics."

Hu said China would adhere to its own social system

and development path and never bow to foreign pressure.

The future and fate of China, as well as the rest of

the world, have become increasingly interdependent, but the country should

maintain its independence while participating in globalization, Hu added.

For such a populous socialist country as China,

independence and self-reliance should form the basis of development.

Yan Shuhan, a professor with the Party School of the

CPC Central Committee, said following the international financial turmoil, some

have been questioning whether China should continue the market-oriented economic

reforms.

"President Hu's speech answered the questions," said

Yan, who attended the anniversary ceremony. "He emphasized that only through

development can we solve the difficulties brought on by the financial crisis."

The professor said Hu's review of China's 30-year

reforms also explained where China is heading.

"Hu's speech told us that there is no universally applicable development mode, or an unalterable one," Yan said. "This pointed that China's reforms must be carried out in continuous innovation."

China holds a conference to mark the

30th anniversary of the convening of the Third Plenary Session of the 11th

Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, at the Great Hall of

the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 18, 2008.(Chinese media

Photo)
Photo

Gallery

President Hu: China emphasizes political,

economic reforms equally since 1978

BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Chinese media) -- President Hu Jintao on

Thursday said that China had in the past 30 years given equal emphasis to

political structural reform and economic restructuring.

In his keynote speech to mark the 30th anniversary of

China's launching of the reform and opening up policy, Hu said democratic

practice had become more dynamic after series of political reforms since 1978.

Full story

President Hu eulogizes three-decade

reform

BEIJING, Dec. 18

(Chinese media) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao eulogized here Thursday the nationwide

reform adopted by the Communist Party of China (CPC) for the past three decades

when China saw nearly ten percent average annual growth rate.

Hu, also general secretary of the CPC Central

Committee, highly valued Deng Xiaoping, Chinese paramount leader at that time,

and his most senior associates for their bold decision on restructuring the

national economy and opening up to the outside world. Full story

China celebrates 30th anniversary of

landmark reform, opening-up

alt="China held a meeting on Thursday morning to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its reform and opening-up drive, which turned the once poverty-stricken country into one of the world's largest economies."

hspace=0

src="http://news.Chinese medianet.com/english/2008-12/18/xin_2721205181051312894517.jpg"

border=0>

China holds a conference to mark the

30th anniversary of the convening of the Third Plenary Session of the 11th

Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, at the Great Hall of

the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 18, 2008. (Chinese media

Photo)
Photo

Gallery

BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Chinese media) -- China held a meeting on

Thursday morning to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its reform and opening-up

drive, which turned the once poverty-stricken country into one of the world's

largest economies.

Top leaders, including President Hu Jintao, attended

the ceremony, which started at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing

at 10:00 a.m. Full story