Building a Socialist Harmonious Society

Contained in the Selected Works of Hu Jintao Vol. 2. Chinese President Hu Jintao instructed the country's leading officials and Party cadres to place “building a harmonious society” top on their work agenda, when addressing the high-level Party seminar on February 19, 2005.

The speech consists of 4 parts.

The first part is “comprehensively understanding the great significance of building a harmonious socialist society”. The speech pointed out that with the continuous development of China's economy and society, the overall layout of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics has more clearly developed from the three-in-one mode of socialist economic construction, political construction and cultural construction to the four-in-one mode of socialist economic construction, political construction, cultural construction and social construction. The construction of a harmonious socialist society is our Party's new strategy for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and creating socialism with Chinese characteristics. A major task put forward from the perspective of the overall situation meets the important requirements of China's reform and development as the reform enters into a critical period, and embodies the fundamental interests and common aspirations of the broad masses of people.

From the domestic point of view, building a harmonious socialist society is the inevitable requirement for us to seize and make good use of the important strategic opportunity period and achieve the grand goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. From an international point of view, building a harmonious socialist society is an inevitable requirement for us to grasp the complex and volatile international situation and so as to effectively respond to various challenges and risks posed by the international environment. From the perspective of our Party's historical mission, building a harmonious socialist society is the inevitable requirement for consolidating the Party's social foundation to govern and achieve the Party's historical governing mission. The speech pointed out: putting forward the construction of a harmonious socialist society clearly reflects our Party's new understanding of the development law of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and also reflects our Party's new understanding of the law of governance, the ability to govern, the strategy of governance, and the method of governance.It provides us an important guideline so as to seize and make good use of the important strategic opportunity period for achieving the grand goal of building a moderately prosperous society. Constructing a harmonious socialist society is related to the fundamental interests of the vast majority of the people, to consolidating the Party's social foundation to govern and achieve the Party's historical governing mission, related to the overall situation of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, related to the prosperity of the Party's cause and to the long-term stability of the state. All comrades in the Party should have a profound understanding of the great significance of building a harmonious socialist society from such a strategic height.

The second part is “the all-round account of the construction of a harmonious socialist society is a basic task of building socialism with Chinese characteristics”. The speech pointed out that the realization of social harmony and the construction of a beautiful society have always been a social ideal pursued by human and a social ideal pursued by Marxist political parties, including the CPC. The theory of socialist social construction is an important component part of Marxist theory. On the basis of inheriting and developing the rational ideas and achievements of their predecessors, Marx and Engels established the theory of scientific socialism, outlined the blueprint of a benign society, and pointed out the right path to achieve such a society. In the long-term practice of revolution, construction and reform, our Party has continuously explored and developed the theory of socialist social construction with Chinese characteristics.

Our Party proposes to build a harmonious socialist society, which conforms to the basic principles of Marxism and the scientific conception of Marxism in respect to future socialist society. The new progress our Party has made in the theory and practice of socialist social construction is not only a summary of the Party's experience of governance, but also a reference to the experience of governance for some foreign governing parties; the lessons learned are not only the deepening of our understanding of the laws of socialist construction in China, but also the deepening of the understanding of the laws of governance of communist parties, the laws of socialist construction and the laws of human social development; it is not only the enrichment and development of the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics, but also the enrichment and development of the Marxist theory of socialist social construction.

The third part is “effectively doing a good job in building a harmonious socialist society”. The speech pointed out that the harmonious socialist society we want to build should be a democratic society under the rule of law, a society based on equity and justice, an honest and caring society, a society full of vigor and a stable and orderly society in which humans live in harmony with nature. These basic characteristics of a harmonious socialist society are mutually interrelated and need to be fully grasped and reflected in the process of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Building a harmonious socialist society is organically unified with the building of socialist material civilization, political civilization and spiritual civilization. They are not only closely interrelated, but also have their own specific fields and laws.

Building a socialist material civilization, political civilization and spiritual civilization can provide a solid foundation for the building of a socialist harmonious society, and in turn building a harmonious socialist society can also provide important conditions for building socialist material civilization, political civilization and spiritual civilization. In order to promote the building of a harmonious socialist society, we should focus on the following aspects of work:

(1) Maintaining sustained, rapid, coordinated and healthy economic development; (2) Earnestly develop the socialist democracy; (3) Implementing the basic strategy of governing the country according to law; (4) Strengthening ideological and moral construction; (5) Maintaining and realizing social equity and justice; (6) Enhancing the creative energy of the whole society; (7) Strengthening social construction and management; (8) Correctly deal with contradictions among the people under the new situation; (9) Strengthening the construction and management of ecological environment; (10) Doing a good job in maintaining social stability.

The fourth part of the speech deals with the issue of “strengthening and improving the Party's leadership in building a harmonious socialist society”. The speech pointed out: “In the historical era of profound social changes in our country, resolving the issue of building a society in which all the people can do their best and live in harmony with each other presents a major test for our Party's ruling ability”. Building a harmonious socialist society is an arduous and complex systematic project and requires unremitting efforts of the entire Party and society for a long time, in the future. Party committees at all levels and government organs should enhance their sense of mission and responsibility and strengthen and improve their leadership in all aspects of the work of building a harmonious socialist society.

First, we should put building a harmonious socialist society in an important position in the whole work. Second, we should do a good job when implementing the Party's mass work under the new situation. Third, we should strengthen the theoretical research on building a harmonious socialist society.