Decision of the Central Committee of the CPC on Several Major Issues Concerning the Construction of a Harmonious Socialist Society

Adopted at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 16th Central Committee of the CPC on October 11, 2006. The “Decision” was based on the summarization of experience of the CPC in the past decades and comprehensively analyzing the situation and tasks. Included in from Selection and Compilation of Important Documents since the 16th National Congress (Vol. 2).

The “Decision” is divided into eight parts: (1) Importance and urgency of building a harmonious socialist society; (2) Guiding ideology, goals, tasks and principles of building a harmonious socialist society; (3) Adhering to the coordinated development, and strengthening the construction of social undertakings; (4) Strengthening the system construction to ensure social fairness and justice; (5) Building a harmonious socialist society, harmonious culture, consolidate the ideological and moral basis of social harmony; (6) Improving social management, maintain social stability and order; (7) Stimulating social vitality, and promoting social unity and harmony; (8) Strengthening the leadership of the Party in building a harmonious socialist society.

On the importance and urgency of building a harmonious socialist society, the “Decision” points out that social harmony is the essential attribute of socialism with Chinese characteristics and an important guarantee for the prosperity and strength of the country, the revitalization of the nation and the happiness of the people. Social harmony is the goal of the Party's unremitting struggle, and development is the prerequisite of social harmony. At present, China's society is generally harmonious, but there are also many contradictions and problems affecting social harmony, we should adhere to the economic construction as the center and put the construction of a harmonious socialist society in a more prominent position.

The “Decision” has stipulated the guiding ideology of building a harmonious socialist society and points out that the socialist harmonious society built and shared by all Chinese people along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and under the leadership of the CPC. We should adhere to the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of “Three Represents”. We should adhere to the Party's basic line, programme and experience, adhere to the “Scientific Outlook on Development” as the guide for the overall economic and social development, and meet the general requirements of democracy and rule of law, fairness and justice, honesty and fraternity, vigor, stability and order, and harmonious coexistence between man and nature, so as to solve the problems of the masses.

Focusing on the most direct and realistic interests of people, we should focus on developing social undertakings, promoting social equity and justice, building a harmonious culture, improving social management, enhancing social creativity, taking the path of common prosperity, and promoting the coordinated development of social and economic construction, political construction and cultural construction.

The “Decision” put forward the goals and main tasks of building a harmonious socialist society by 2020, including nine aspects: democracy and legal system, coordinated development, benign income distribution, public service, ideology and morality, science and culture, social management, a society full of vigor and ecological environment. The “Decision” also puts forward the principles to be followed in building a harmonious socialist society: adhering to putting people first; adhering to development in a scientific way; adhering to Reform and Opening-up; adhering to democracy and the rule of law; adhering to properly handling the relationships between reform, development and stability; and adhering to participation of the whole society under the leadership of the Party. The “Decision” is the first programmatic document formulated by our Party to construct a harmonious socialist society since the Reform and Opening-up. It reflects the inherent requirement of building a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized and harmonious socialist modern nation, which is of great significance to unify the understanding of the whole Party and to concentrate the strength of the whole Party and society to build a harmonious socialist society.