Modernisation, reunification and world peace will be pursued with equal zeal The Communist Party's Central Committee yesterday pledged to ensure social stability as it highlighted the need to build a more effective party leadership. A statement issued after the four-day meeting of the fourth plenum of the 16th Central Committee in Beijing, noted the importance of the party's 'three historical tasks': to continue to promote modernisation, to complete the reunification of China, and to maintain world peace and promote development. 'This has much to do with the success and failure of socialism, with the future of the Chinese race, as well as with the life and death of the party and the long-term stability of the country,' said the statement issued at the close of the plenary session. But it fell short of spelling out details of political reforms. The party meeting was attended by 194 members of the Central Committee and 152 alternate members. The meeting also approved the resignation of Jiang Zemin from the chairmanship of the Central Military Commission. Highlighting the need to maintain a close link between the party and the people, the statement said there was a need to build a quality team of cadres to reform and refine the leadership system and party machinery. And it stressed the need to strengthen the grassroots organisation within the party. The party said it would strive to make development its priority. It will improve its ability to 'master the socialist market economy' and reaffirm its determination to make economic construction the core task, the statement said. The party will also rally every positive means to 'build a harmonious socialist society', 'strengthen the vitality of the entire society', and 'aptly co-ordinate the relationship between different interests'. The party put the building of an effective leadership at the top of its agenda at the plenum. It is seen as a vital step in the transition of the party to a ruling party as the mainland enters a potentially unstable period, with its per-capita gross domestic product having just surpassed US$1,000. The party also pledged to improve its ability to respond to international developments. The party will 'seize the initiative in international affairs and strengthen its capability in interacting with the international community', the statement said. With regard to Taiwan, the party said it would continue to follow the principles of 'peaceful reunification' and 'one country, two systems', while stressing its resolute opposition to any moves promoting independence for Taiwan. The meeting described the goal of maintaining prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macau as 'a brand new task for the party's management of state affairs under the new circumstances'.
