Speech in Commemoration of the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CPC

The speech delivered by Hu Jintao at the 30th Anniversary Meeting Celebrating the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CPC on December 18, 2008. Contained in Selection and Compilation of Important Documents since the 17th National Congress ( Vol.1 ) .

The “Speech” comprehensively reviewed and summarized the great course and brilliant achievements of the Reform and Opening-up in the past 30 years, pointed out that, in the past 30 years, we have always taken Reform and Opening-up as a powerful driving force and promoted the Party and the state to make grand achievements that attracted worldwide attention in various undertakings on the basis of the achievements made since the founding of New China.

After 30 years of unremitting struggle, we have succeeded in achieving the first two strategic goals of the "three-step" strategy of modernization construction proposed by our Party and are striding forward to the third strategic goal. The great achievements of the past 30 years fully proved that the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the theories, lines, principles and policies formed since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CPC have been completely correct. The “Speech” pointed out that the fundamental reason for all the achievements and progress we have made since the Reform and Opening-up boils down to the fact that we have opened up the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, formed the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and creatively answered important theoretical and practical questions such as what is Marxism, how to treat Marxism, what is socialism, how to build socialism, what kind of Party to build, how to build the Party, what kind of development to achieve and how to develop.

In the 30 years of creative practice, we have accumulated valuable experience.

Generally speaking, it is the "ten combinations" of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China: Firstly, we must link adhering to the basic tenets of Marxism with promoting sinicised Marxism, emancipate our minds, seek truth from facts, advance with the times and use the theoretical innovations we have gained from practice as the guiding theory for reform and opening. Secondly, we must link adhering to the four Cardinal Principles with carrying on Reform and Opening-up, consistently giving priority to economic development, and steering Reform and Opening-up forward on the right course; Thirdly, we must combine respecting people's initiatives with strengthening and improving the leadership of the Party, exercise governance for the people, closely rely on the people, make every endeavor for the well-being of the people, and exercise the core leadership of the Party through bringing people's role in creating history into full play; Fourthly, link persevering with the basic system of socialism with developing the market economy, so as to make full use of the superiority of socialism and the effectiveness of market forces in allocating resources and create a society full of vitality for reform and development; Fifthly, we should link pressing ahead with changes in the economic base with promoting reform of the superstructure, continuously pushing forward political restructuring and provide institutional and legal guarantees for reform, opening up and socialist modernization; Sixthly, we must link the effort to develop social productive forces with the effort to improve the cultural and ethical quality of the whole nation, pursuing coordinated development of material and spiritual civilization, and promote the vigorous development and prosperity of culture more conscientiously and actively; Seventhly, combine enhanced efficiency with the promotion of social equity, in order that all the people can share in the fruits of reform and development—on the basis of economic development—and step up our efforts to build a harmonious society; Eighthly, we must combine upholding our independence with participation in economic globalization, taking both the domestic and international situations into account and so contributing to the ideals of peace and human development; Ninthly, we must combine promoting reform and development with maintaining social stability; Tenthly, we must combine advancing the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics with making progress in the great new undertaking to build the Party, strengthening the Party's governing capability, maintaining its vanguard nature, and improving the Party's art of leadership and governance and its ability to resist corruption, degeneration and risks.

The “Speech” pointed out that the 30 years of historical experience boils down to one point: combining the basic principles of Marxism with the reality of China, following a path of our own and building socialism with Chinese characteristics. We must uphold the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics and continue to promote the Sinicization of Marxism; we must adhere to the correct direction of Reform and Opening-up, and strive to build a vigorous, well performing, more open institutional mechanism that is conducive to scientific development; we must adhere to focusing our efforts on the Party's top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country, so as to enable that the fruits of development be shared by the people; we must guard against arrogance and impetuosity, work hard and create a new situation of Reform and Opening-up and socialist modernization construction. At the final part of the “Speech”, it was pointed out that our great goal is to build a moderately prosperous society at a higher level, shared by more than a billion people by the centenary of our Party founding, and basically achieve modernization by the by the centenary of the People's Republic of China, and to build a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized and harmonious modern socialist country.

In demonstrating China's firm determination to walk in the path of socialism, Hu Jintao used three "don'ts" in succession, saying, “As long as we don't waver, don't slack off and don't do something counterproductive; and as long as we firmly push forward Reform and Opening-up and walk the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we are certain to be able to successfully realize this grand blueprint and achieve the goals we are striving for.”