Hu Jintao's 'scientific development' to live on in revised constitution

The Communist Party will incorporate more of general secretary Hu Jintao's pet theory into its revised constitution at its week-long national congress, opening today, in a move to further cement the retiring leader's political legacy.

Congress spokesman Cai Mingzhao told a press conference in Beijing yesterday it would "make further elaborations on the scientific concept of development" in an amendment to the party constitution. Hu's theory was enshrined in the party's constitution at its previous congress five years ago.

"The party congress will put forth fresh suggestions on deepening study and implementation of the scientific concept of development," Cai said.

He also announced that the congress, which will herald a once-a-decade leadership transition, would close next Wednesday. The newly selected Central Committee will hold its first meeting the next day, when the party's supreme Politburo Standing Committee will be ushered in to meet the media.

A string of recent of omissions of the term "Mao Zedong thought" from several party documents had stirred up speculation that the party might be about to remove it from the party constitution, but Cai made reference to it yesterday, alongside Marxism, as the party's guiding principles in an apparent effort to dismiss such speculation.

Gu Su , a Nanjing University law professor who is familiar with Chinese politics, said the party might elaborate on the "scientific concept of development" by stressing its goals of social harmony and even income distribution - both things strongly advocated by Hu over the past decade.