Chinese President Jiang Zemin has called for efforts to strengthen and improve the building of the Communist Party of China (CPC), saying it is essential for the acceleration and promotion of China's socialist modernization.
If the 65 million Party members are of one heart and one mind, unite together and work hard, the CPC will be built into an even more vigorous and powerful party, Jiang said during his May 18-21 inspection tour to southwestern Sichuan Province.
Jiang, also CPC general secretary, called for adherence to Marxism and efforts to enrich and develop it in accordance with practice.
To enhance Party building, he stressed, it is important to strengthen leaderships at all levels, promote the right persons to leadership, and improve the ability of grass-roots Party organizations.
During the inspection tour, Jiang visited research institutes, universities, enterprises and villages in Chengdu, the provincial capital, Ya'an City and the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture.
Jiang showed great concern over the economic development of Sichuan, as the country is carrying out the strategy to develop the vast western region.
He stressed that the implementation of the strategy is part of the great outline to develop the whole country, and it is of great importance both economically and politically because it will help push forward the reform and development and maintain long-term stability in the country.
Jiang also urged efforts to accelerate agricultural restructuring and rural development and increase farmers' income, upgrade the industrial sector and revitalize enterprises and traditional industries with high technologies, step up infrastructure construction, enhance environmental protection, and foster talented people.
To speed up the development of areas densely populated by minority people is also an important job and a starting-point for the development of west China, Jiang said.
(People's Daily May 23, 2002)
