CPC Constitution amendment a practice of democracy

BEIJING - The recent amendment to the Constitution of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is a sound practice of intra-Party democracy, according to a scholar with the CPC's top academic institute.

The decision to amend the Party's Constitution was made on the basis of listening to the opinions of a wide spectrum of people, Li Jingtian, executive vice president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said in an interview with Xinhua.

The voices of Party organizations and members throughout the country about the amendment draft were also carefully listened to during the drafting procedures, Li said.

Moreover, a draft amendment was sent to Party organizations across the country, as well as to delegates of both the 17th CPC National Congress and the 18th CPC National Congress, to solicit comments.

Revisions have been made to the draft in accordance with relevant suggestions collected, and a new edition was approved at the seventh plenary session of the 17th CPC Central Committee earlier this month, Li said.

Before being adopted by the Congress, the draft was further improved during the 18th CPC National Congress with the new advice of delegates.

"We can see that this amendment is a result of full intra-Party democracy, and it showcases the wisdom and consensus of the entire Party," Li said.

According to Li, it is also the sixteenth time that the CPC has amended or revised its Constitution, and almost every Party congress makes some contribution to the Constitution.

As the CPC's fundamental law, the Party Constitution should embody the Party's theories, guidelines and policies and make manifest the Party's important systems, Li said.

On the condition of maintaining consistency and stability in the most fundamental content, it should be amended in accordance with developments and changes in the situation and the Party's new tasks, the scholar said.

That is to say, it should reflect the Party's theoretical innovations, new requirements for the development of the Party and the country, as well as the latest achievements in the cause of Party construction, he said.

The history of all the amendments to the Party Constitution can be seen as a brief retrospective of the Party's spectacular development history over the past 91 years, he said.

According to Li, enshrining the Scientific Outlook on Development as part of the Party's guide for action is the greatest merit for the history of the amendment this time.

It has enriched the content of theoretical innovations the Party has made since its 16th National Congress was held 10 years ago and pinpointed the historical position of the Scientific Outlook on Development, which will help the entire Party to more accurately understand the connotation and nature of the theory, Li said.

Another contribution of the amendment is the incorporation of the socialist system, path and theories with Chinese characteristics into the Party's Constitution,

The amendment also hailed reform and opening up as the path to a stronger China and the salient feature of the new period in China.

Moreover, the amendment highlighted the need to promote environmental progress and stressed efforts to maintain the Party's purity in its construction, Li summarized.

The 18th CPC National Congress deliberated on and unanimously adopted the revised Constitution proposed by the 17th Party Central Committee and decided that it would go into effect as of the date of adoption on Wednesday.