Decision of the CPC Central Committee on the Enhancement of the Party's Ruling Capacity

Adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee on September 19, 2004. Included in Selection and Compilation of Important Documents since the 16th National Congress (Vol. 2).

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee comprehensively analyzed the current situation and tasks, and elaborated on the importance and urgency of strengthening the Party's ruling capacity. The “Decision” emphasizes that our Party has become the ruling Party, which is the choice of history and the choice of the people. Strengthening the Party's ruling capacity is a requirement of the times and a requirement of the people. Entering the new century and new phase, the situation at home and abroad requires us to vigorously strengthen the Party's ruling capacity. This is a major strategic issue related to the rise or fall of China’s socialist cause, the future and destiny of the Chinese nation, the survival of the Party and the lasting stability of the country.

The “Decision” sums up the main experience of the Party's 55 years in power, i.e., six "Musts": Firstly, the Party must adhere to keeping pace with the times in its guiding ideology and use the developing Marxism to guide new practices; Secondly, we must adhere to promoting the self-improvement of socialism and enhancing the vitality and vigor of socialism; Thirdly, we must adhere to grasping development as the first priority of the Party in ruling the country and making development the key to solving all problems in China; Fourthly, we must adhere to establishing the Party for the public and ruling for the people and always maintain the flesh-and-blood ties between the Party and the people; Fifthly, we must adhere to ruling scientifically, democratically and according to the law and constantly improve the Party's mode of leadership and holding power; Sixthly, we must adhere to strengthening the Party building in the spirit of reform and constantly enhance the Party creativity, cohesion and combat effectiveness.

The “Decision” has put forward the guiding ideology, overall objective and main tasks for strengthening the construction of the Party's ruling capacity. To improve the Party's ruling capacity, it is necessary to: adhere to development as the Party's first priority in ruling and rejuvenating the country, and constantly improve the capacity to run the socialist market economy; adhere to the organic unity of the Party's leadership, the people's mastery and ruling the country according to law, and constantly improve the capacity to develop socialist democratic politics; to adhere to the guiding position of Marxism in the field of ideology, and constantly improve the capacity to build advanced socialist culture; to adhere to the broadest and fullest mobilization of all positive factors, and constantly improve the capacity to build a harmonious socialist society; to adhere to an independent and peaceful foreign policy, and constantly improve the capacity to deal with the international situation and international affairs; to take improving the Party's ruling capacity as the key, and comprehensively promote the new great project of Party building.

The “Decision” is a new issue raised by the Central Committee in the new period in the light of the new actual situation. It has played a crucial role in guiding the Party building work in the new period, especially the strengthening of the Party's ruling capacity, pointing out the direction for the strengthening of the Party's ruling capacity in the new period and further enriching the theory of Party building.