Chinese Editorial Commends President Hu Jintao’s Report to Party Congress

Text of report by Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po website on 16 October

[Editorial: "Stick With Reform and Opening Up and Safeguard National Unity"]

The 17th CCP National Congress opened ceremoniously in Beijing yesterday. The political report presented by CCP Central Committee General Secretary Hu Jintao reviewed and summed up the course of history and experience since the programme of reform and opening up was implemented and mapped out forward-looking strategic plans for comprehensively advancing the country’s reform, opening up, and modernization. Hu Jintao’s solemn proclamation, “Reform and opening up are a new great revolution. Standing still or turning back will lead us nowhere,” made clear to the whole world China’s future direction of development. Hu Jintao’s expositions on Hong Kong and Macao as well as the Taiwan issue will also have an important and profound impact on maintaining stability and prosperity in Hong Kong and Macao and on promoting the peaceful reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Not only is there debate at home about how China, which is at a crucial stage of reform and opening up, should develop further, but the world is also following this with interest. It is true that some problems have cropped up in China in the course of reform and opening up, but, more important, it is because of reform and opening up that China has achieved the results of today that have attracted worldwide attention. Also, problems such as uneven economic development and the widening gap between rich and poor must be resolved through further reform and opening up. Hu Jintao pointed out emphatically: The direction and path of reform and opening up, as the crucial choice that decides the fate of contemporary China, are completely correct, and the results and achievements cannot be denied. Standing still or turning back will lead us nowhere. Hu Jintao’s explicit endorsement of reform and opening up on behalf of the party Central Committee was not only aimed at drawing a conclusion in the debate at home but also at showing the whole world China’s firm determination to continue advancing reform and opening up. This is of important significance to eliminating interference, dispelling misgivings, enhancing confidence, doing a better job of reform and opening up, and advancing the great cause of rejuvenating the nation.

The fourth plenary session of the 16th CCP Central Committee made the maintenance of long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong “an all-new task” in governing the country and administering state affairs under the new situation. In his report to the 17th Party Congress, Hu Jintao called for maintaining long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong as “a major task” in governing the country and administering state affairs under the new situation. The shift from “an all-new task” to “a major task” shows that the central authorities attach greater importance to their policy on Hong Kong. In his report, Hu Jintao expressed hopes and demands for Hong Kong’s development, such as “devoting efforts to develop the economy, improve the people’s livelihoods, and advance democracy”; “working in concert to promote social harmony”; strengthening “exchanges and cooperation” with the two regions”; and realizing “complementarity of each other’s strengths and joint development.” These expositions by Hu Jintao represent the central authorities’ important policy pronouncements on Hong Kong, which will have the important effect of promoting long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong. In fact, Hong Kong can play to its strengths as an international financial, trading, and shipping hub in the broad scheme of things stemming from the country’s further reform and opening up as revealed in Hu Jintao’s report. It can act in concert with the country’s development while also gaining a tremendous impetus for its own further development.

The Taiwan issue and cross-Strait relations are one of the dominant themes of the 17th CCP National Congress as well as a focal point of broad concern to overseas communities. Hu Jintao said emphatically: We are willing to make maximum efforts with the utmost sincerity to achieve peaceful reunification across the Taiwan Strait, but we will never allow anyone to separate Taiwan from the motherland in any name and by any means. Hu Jintao solemnly called for holding consultations on the basis of the one-China principle to formally end the state of hostility across the Taiwan Strait, reach a peace agreement, build a framework for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and open up new prospects for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

Hu Jintao’s exposition on Taiwan-related work demonstrates the CCP’s sincere wish to end the state of hostility across the Taiwan Strait at an early date for the benefit of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait under the theme of promoting cross-Strait peace and development while also accentuating the CCP’s strong will and determination to defend the country’s territorial and sovereign integrity. Hu Jintao’s speech was intended as a serious warning to “Taiwan independence” forces not to hijack Taiwan’s public opinion at a time when the Taiwan authorities’ current efforts to keep advancing the course of “Taiwan independence” are gravely threatening cross-Strait peace as well as security in the Taiwan Strait. This has immediate and far-reaching significance for safeguarding stability in the current situation across the Taiwan Strait and for advancing the development of cross-Strait relations.

Originally published by Wen Wei Po website, Hong Kong, in Chinese 16 Oct 07.

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