The Speech at the Meeting to Commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Convening of the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CPC

Some of the contents this speech are included in Vol. 2 of Selected Works of Jiang Zemin under the title “Our Party's Main Historical Experiences Over the Last 20 Years” Excerpt from Jiang Zemin's important speech on the 20th Anniversary of the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CPC, held in Beijing on December 18, 1998. Jiang Zemin highly appraised the historical position and significance of the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CPC. It is pointed out that the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee is a great turning point with far-reaching significance since the founding of New China. It is from this plenary session that the CPC has made a comprehensive rectification in the fields of ideology, politics, organization and so on. The mighty socialist Reform and Opening-up was opened by this plenary session, at the same time the new path leading to the building socialism with Chinese characteristics was opened with this plenary session.

It marked that China has stepped into a new period of socialist development. Practice has proved that the basic theory, basic line, basic program and a series of principles and policies established by the CPC since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CPC were completely correct. The speech summed up the main achievements since the Reform and Opening-up: explored and opened up a new path in building socialism with Chinese characteristics; established a basic economic system of the primary stage of socialism, in which public ownership is the main pillar and multiple ownership economies develop in tandem, and the implementation of a distribution system in which distribution according to work is dominant and multiple distribution modes coexist in tandem; the scope and scale of Opening-up have been continuously expanded, forming an all-round, multi-level and wide-ranging pattern of Opening-up; the national economy has maintained a sustained, rapid and sound development, and social productive forces, comprehensive national strength and people's living standards have reached a great level; the national economy has maintained sustained, rapid and healthy development, and social productive forces, comprehensive national strength and people's living standards have reached a big step; important progress has been made in the development of socialist democracy; new achievements have been made in the construction of socialist spiritual civilization; the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong have successfully been resumed; we have further carried out the military strategic policy of active defense, carried out the revolutionary, modernized and standardized construction of the People's Liberation Army in an all-round way, and further enhanced the overall strength and operational capability of national defense; adhering to an independent foreign policy of peace has created a new situation in diplomatic work; the Party has improved its ability to lead the Reform, Opening-up and modernization drive, and has accumulated important experience in controlling various complex situations.

The Speech expounded on the historical experience of the past 20 years since the Reform and Opening-up from eleven aspects as follows: adhere to the Marxist ideological line of the Party; comprehensively, correctly and vigorously implement the basic line of the Party in the primary stage of socialism; make concentrating our efforts on developing the productive forces our foremost priority; unwaveringly push forward Reform and Opening-up; establish a sound economic system and institutions suited to the requirements for developing the productive forces; persevere in building socialist democratic politics with Chinese characteristics; steadfastly ensure common material and cultural and ethical progress; safeguard and preserve social and political stability and unity; work for a lasting peaceful international environment for the sake of the reform, opening up and socialist modernization of our country; make satisfying and safeguarding the interests of the overwhelming majority of the people the fundamental starting point for reform and development; uphold, strengthen and improve the Party's leadership of the Party. "Speech" emphasized that 20 years of historical experience can be summed up under a single theme, i.e., combining the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific reality, blazing a path of our own and building socialism with Chinese characteristics.