Report to 20th CPC National Congress -- How it was shaped

BEIJING -- The report of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was adopted at the recently concluded 20th CPC National Congress.

The report was presented by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, at the opening of the key congress on Oct 16.

Titled "Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive in Unity to Build a Modern Socialist Country in All Respects," the document is divided into three parts and 15 sections and contains more than 30,000 Chinese characters.

Xi attached great importance to the drafting work and led the process throughout. In January this year, it was decided to set up a drafting team, with Xi serving as its head.

In February, Xi presided over the first meeting of the drafting team, marking the beginning of the drafting work.

At that meeting, Xi demanded that the drafting work must fully grasp the following new features of the times:

-- While 100 years have passed in the history of the CPC, with many successes achieved, the country is now faced with new strategic opportunities in pursuing development.

-- While the Party has united and led the Chinese people in completing the First Centenary Goal, the country faces new strategic development tasks on the new journey to build China into a modern socialist country in all respects.

-- While historic achievements have been made in advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the country is entering a new strategic stage in its development.

-- While the first decade of the new era has passed, China must continue to open up new horizons and is confronted with new strategic requirements.

-- While the combined forces of changes in the world and a pandemic, both unseen in a century, have brought the world into a new period of turbulence and change, China is facing a new strategic environment for its development.

At a session in May, Xi instructed that the report should grasp the historical juncture, focus on the Party's strategic tasks in the coming five years, uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, and display the fighting spirit.

In June, Xi presided over the fourth meeting of the drafting team, at which the first version of the draft report was discussed. Later in July, Xi chaired two meetings of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to deliberate the draft report.

"The general secretary himself contributed many new and important thoughts and judgements to the report and put forth a series of key measures," a member of the drafting team said.

The drafting process also pooled wisdom from all sectors of society.

In January, the CPC Central Committee decided to extensively solicit opinions on topics for the report within the Party, and gather opinions and suggestions from non-CPC personages.

An online solicitation of advice on work related to the 20th CPC National Congress was held from April 15 to May 16, the first time that the Party had sought public opinions from both within the Party and throughout society on the work related to the CPC National Congress. More than 8.54 million suggestions and comments were received during this online campaign.

As of Sept 1, a total of 1,435 suggestions for revision of the draft report had been contributed by local authorities and government departments, after they received a circular on this matter on Aug 4.

At the seventh plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, which opened on Oct 9, members of the drafting team heard opinions and advice on the draft report from attendees of the session and made revisions accordingly.

After presenting the report to the Party's 20th National Congress, Xi said at a group discussion that the report has further charted the way forward for the cause of the Party and the country, and that it will serve as a political manifesto and guide for the Party to unite and lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics on the new journey in the new era.

The draft report was further refined according to opinions collected from the delegates and non-voting participants during the week-long congress.

The report was approved at the congress on Oct 22.