Push Forward the Socialist Modernization Drive

On June 21, 1983, at the first session of the Sixth National People's Congress, Li Xiannian was elected as the President of the PRC. He made this speech at the meeting. Contained in Selected Works of Li Xiannian. The speech pointed out that the most difficult period caused by the ten-year turmoil of “Cultural Revolution” had passed, and the path to national prosperity and prosperity of the people had been opened. At present, the main task of the people of the whole country is to work hard as one heart and one mind and continue to march forward to achieve the grand goal of building China into a modern, highly civilized and highly democratic socialist country. The speech emphasized the Four Cardinal Principles: we must adhere to the socialist path, the people's democratic dictatorship, the leadership of the CPC, Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong thought, which is the foundation of our nation.

He urged: all localities, all departments and all units should closely integrate the Four Cardinal Principles with the actual situation, and creatively and comprehensively follow and implement the Four Cardinal Principles, the laws, regulations, guidelines, and policies that embody these principles into your work. Socialist economic construction should be the center of everything we do. We must follow a series of correct principles for China's economic construction established since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CPC and do everything better in all aspects of economic work. We should continue to press ahead with institutional reforms and economic system reforms; we should rectify the style of our cadre contingent so as to have more revolutionary, younger, knowledgeable and specialized cadres; and strive to build socialist spiritual civilization to achieve a favorable atmosphere in the whole society. In this way, success in our economic construction and success in other construction undertakings will have the most important guarantee.

This is an earlier discussion of the main contents of the basic line in the primary stage of socialism. The speech pointed out that as long as we unite and work together, we will surely be able to overcome all kinds of difficulties in progress and achieve the great goal of rejuvenating China successfully.