The Sixth Plenary Session of the Fifteenth Central Committee of the CPC

It convened in Beijing from September 24 to 26, 2001. The Plenary Session focused on spelled out the principles and tasks of the Party in terms of improving Party style. The Plenary Session considered and adopted the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Strengthening and Improving the Building of the Party Style”. The “Decision” pointed out that in order to make the Party always stay ahead of the times, always be the backbone of the people and always be a strong leading core of the socialism and national rejuvenation cause, it is necessary to strengthen and improve the building of the Party’s style; the key issue is to maintain the close ties between the Party and the masses; warned that the greatest danger for the ruling Marxist Party is to be separated from the masses. The decision said that the building of ideological style must be put in the first place in terms of strengthening and improving the Party style. Adherence to ideological emancipation and the seeking of truth from facts are the fundamental requirements of the Party to go with the progressive tide of the times and maintain its permanent advancement.

In the new stage of development, the guiding ideology and overall requirements for strengthening and improving the Party's style construction are: adhering to the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory, following the important thought of “Three Represents”, focus closely on the central task of economic construction and keep in mind the overall situation of reform, as well as development and stability. The Party should manage the whole Party and cadres strictly; take further strengthening the relationship between the Party and the people as the core mission, maintain the Party's progressive nature and its purity, and enhance the Party's creativity, cohesion and combat effectiveness as the goal, carry forward fine tradition of the hard work, strengthen ideological education, promote Party systems construction, and solve outstanding problems, and strive to raise the building of Party's style to a new high.

The main tasks of the Party in terms of improving Party style were formulated as follows: adhere to the principle of emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts, so as to prevent old ways of doing things and refrain from being contented with things as they are; uphold the principle of combining theory with practice, and fight against bookishness; keep in touch with the people, and fight against formalism and bureaucracy; maintain democratic centralism, and refrain from acting arbitrarily or despotically and prevent laziness; keep to the Party's disciplinary rules, so as to prevent liberalism; promote justice and honesty, and to fight against the abuse of power for personal gain; work hard, and fight against hedonism; promote officials according to their ability and merits, so as to prevent unfair and corrupt appointment of officials. The Plenary Session also deliberated and adopted the “Resolution on the Convening of the 16th National Congress of the Party”, determining that the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China would be held in Beijing in the second half of 2002.