Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive for New Victories in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects

On October 15, 2007, Hu Jintao delivered the report to the 17th National Congress of the CPC, on behalf of the 16th Central Committee. Guided by Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of “Three Represents”, the report thoroughly implements the “Scientific Outlook on Development”, and scientifically answers major questions such as what banner the Party holds, what path it takes, what kind of spiritual state it takes and what kind of development goals it is heading for at the critical stage of reform and development, makes comprehensive arrangements for continuing to advance reform, opening up and socialist modernization, and achieving the grand goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and clearly defines the requirements for fully advancing the new great undertaking of Party building in a spirit of reform and innovation.

The full report is divided into twelve parts: (1) The work of the past five years; (2) The great historical course of Reform and Opening-up; (3) Thoroughly applying the “Scientific Outlook on Development”; (4) New requirements for attaining the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects; (5) Promoting sound and rapid development of the national economy; (6) Unswervingly developing socialist democracy; (7) Promoting vigorous development and prosperity of socialist culture; (8) Accelerating social development with the focus on improving people's livelihood; (9) Opening up new prospects for modernization of national defense and the armed forces; (10) Carrying forward the practice of "One Country, Two Systems" and advancing the great cause of peaceful national reunification; (11) Unswervingly following the path of peaceful development; (12) Comprehensively carrying forward the great new undertaking to build the Party in a spirit of reform and innovation. The report summarized the great historical process of Reform and Opening-up, and made a penetrating summary of the valuable experience of speeding up modernization, consolidating and developing socialism. It is pointed out that Reform and Opening-up are the only way to develop socialism with Chinese characteristics and rejuvenate the Chinese nation, that only socialism can save China and that only Reform and Opening-up can develop China, socialism and Marxism.

The report emphasized holding high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics and adhering to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and for the first time creatively summarized the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is emphasized that the fundamental reason behind all our achievements and progress since the Reform and Opening-up policy was introduced is that we have blazed a new path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and established the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. To hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics means to stick to the path and uphold the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics constitute a system of scientific theories including Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of “Three Represents”, and the “Scientific Outlook on Development” and other major strategic thoughts. The report comprehensively and systematically expounds the era background, scientific connotation, spiritual essence and basic requirements of the scientific concept of development.

It is pointed out that the “Scientific Outlook on Development” is a continuation and development of the important thoughts on development advanced by the previous three generations of central collective leadership of the CPC and a concentrated expression of the Marxist world outlook and methodology with regard to development. It is a scientific theory that is in the same line as Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of “Three Represents” and keeps up with the times. It is an important guiding principle for China's economic and social development and a major strategic thought that we must uphold and apply in developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. The “Scientific Outlook on Development” takes development as its essential, puts people first idea as its core, comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development as its basic requirement, and overall consideration of development issues as its fundamental approach. “Scientific Outlook on Development” is a major achievement of our innovation within the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The report also put forward new requirements for the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The report makes a comprehensive arrangement for China's economic construction, political construction, cultural construction, social construction and Party construction, emphasized that we should accelerate the transformation of the economic development mode, improve the system of socialist market economy, and promote the sound and rapid development of the national economy; we should adhere to the path of political development of socialism with Chinese characteristics, unswervingly develop socialist democracy, and ensure that the people are the masters of the country; we should adhere to the direction of the socialist cultural development, build a Socialist core value system, and arouse a new upsurge in the socialist cultural construction; we should accelerate the construction of a society that focuses on improving people's livelihood, and strive to make all the people have lifelong education, expand employment, establish a basic system of social security, fair income distribution, to make everyone have access to basic medical and health services; we should strengthen the construction of the Party's long-term governance capability, maintain its vanguard nature and purity as the main line, we should adhere to the requirement that the Party exercises self-discipline and is strict with its members and works to fulfill the requirement for serving the people and being pragmatic and incorruptible, we should comprehensively promote the grand Project of the Party's ideological construction, style construction, system construction and anti-corruption construction with the spirit of reform and innovation. The report has important guiding significance for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.