CHINA: Hu Jintao kicks off China's 17th Party Congress

Communist Party rule remains vital as China becomes increasingly diverse, Chinese leader Hu Jintao said on Monday (October 15) as he opened the Party's biggest political meeting in five years and promised to press ahead with economic reform. The 17th Congress will enshrine his slogans and name likely successors in a show of unity by the ruling Party that governs more than 1.3 billion, also the world's fourth biggest economy. Thousands of officials and leaders from all over China arrived at the Great Hall of People to attend the Congress in Beijing, while police were out in force outside major hotels hosting delegates and around Tiananmen Square, the political heart of China. Many officials attending the Congress came with hopes that the meeting will spread growth throughout the country. "The development between the western and eastern regions is not so well coordinated, and it's a serious issue. But I think it is not a problem for us to promote it in a better way," said Li Xiaodong, chief of committee of reform and development in Shanxi province. Others also called for improved welfare systems for the needy. "The weak need a long-term welfare system, like a guideline for the people with the lowest income and cheap lodgings. Laid-off workers should be provided with preferential policies," said Wu Hexiang, community worker from Inner Mongolia. Since he succeeded Jiang Zemin as Party chief in 2002, Hu has promoted a "harmonious society" that grafts efforts to spread wealth more equally on to the nation's market-driven economy. That slogan and Hu's notion of a "scientific outlook of development" that aims to balance growth with environmental sustainability are set to be written into key Party documents -- a victory for Hu in a system where ideological formulas are a currency of political power. Hu indicated he would continue to pursue a path of more balanced growth. In front of thousands of officials, Hu said the party will continue to develop by strengthening the military and training party members. "The development for the party will continue on firm foundation, along with the development in administration and technology. We will develop creativity and strength of the military and will continue to prosper. We will preserve the progressive learning curve for the party members, and reap greatly from them. We will expand democracy among members and training for the leadership will continue to strengthen. We will strengthen the development of talents and continue to fight against corruption. And while we see the results, we should also be aware that the gap between what we do and what the people expect is not small. Going forward, there are still many problems and difficulties we have to overcome," he said. Hu also praised the country's political foundations and said it would help China in the future. "Socialism and Marxism has been lived out in the great land of China, and has given the people better support in life. It has also let China move in step with greater global development, and this will let us achieve a better future," he added. Hu also repeated concerns about the growing gap between rich and poor, a flashpoint for social unrest and a problem serious enough that analysts said it may spur tentative political reforms. But participation is unlikely to come at the cost of the Party's control. Dissidents have been detained and thousands of petitioners rounded up to stop them lobbying officials directly with calls for justice.

ITN Source | October 15, 2007

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