China's ruling party well aware of tasks, goals

The Communist Party of China (CPC) has become more confident and practical in leading the world's largest developing country into the future as the CPC is convening its national congress, analysts said.

In a political report delivered on Thursday by Hu Jintao to the 18th CPC National Congress, "maritime power" and "ecological progress" as well as a few other defining expressions on future development highlight the ruling Party's thoughts and responses to challenges.

The report said the Party takes the Scientific Outlook on Development, a people-oriented philosophy, as one of its guiding theories to follow in the years to come, and has incorporated ecological progress into the country's overall development plan.

After three decades of booming economic growth, China has attached more importance to environmental protection than ever, as air and water pollution in many places raise concerns. Some protests emerged against new chemical projects of which local people feared environmentally threatening.

"The ruling Party's interpretation of the Scientific Outlook on Development is accurate and hits the nail on the head," said Xu Yaotong, professor of politics with the Chinese Academy of Governance.

With new concepts and thoughts, the report does not shy away the realities of China, Xu told Xinhua.

"The pledges will be conducive to solving problems on the road of China's development. With problems unsolved, we will never march forward," Xu added.

Hu underlined more efforts to combat corruption, one of the major complaints of the public. He vowed to strengthen the Party's advanced nature and purity.

"If we fail to handle this issue well, it could prove fatal to the Party, and even cause the collapse of the Party and the fall of the state," Hu warned.

Corruption remains a severe challenge to the Party. High-ranking officials such as former head of Chongqing Municipality Bo Xilai and former Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun were expelled from the Party and brought to justice over corruption.

The emphasis on purity shows the Party is clear-headed about the corruption situation, said Liu Qinglong, professor with the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University.

Liu said the current anti-corruption mechanisms should be reviewed carefully and the flaws mended to draw lessons from the graft cases of senior officials.

The report conveys a very clear message that the Party, fully aware of its tasks and confident of the future, will push forward political and economic reforms and unswervingly follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, he said.

Hu said the country rejects both the old and rigid closed-door policy and any attempt to abandon socialism and take an erroneous path. The country will never copy a Western political system.

The message shows the CPC has confidence in following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics after more than six decades of development.

"Reform will be high on the agenda of the new CPC leadership who has a sense of responsibility and urgency," said Wang Feng, director of the Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy at Tsinghua University.

After 30 years of planned economy and another 30 years of reform and opening up, some people in China have become weary of further reforms, Wang told Xinhua.

Hu elaborated on political and economic reforms in his keynote speech, which shows the CPC is determined to do something in these fields, Wang said.

To complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, "We must, with greater political courage and vision, lose no time in deepening reform in key sectors," Hu said.

China is building an overall well-off society. However, due to unbalanced development, people in eastern coastal areas have become relatively well-off as a whole while many others in central and western regions are still struggling with poverty.

It is practical for the Party to promote coordinated and balanced development between urban and rural areas, and eastern and western regions, Liu said.

"If we could not confront the widening gap between the rich and the poor, the overall social development would have a negative consequence," said Liu.

"The landscape for prosperity has been drawn. The key lies in designing and implementing concrete mechanisms and moves," Liu stressed.