Page 8 - FIRMLY MARCH ON THE PATH OF SOCIALISM WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS AND STRIVE TO COMPLETE THE BUILDING OF A MODERATELY PROSPEROUS SOCIETY IN ALL RESPECTS

a solid foundation for completing the building of a moderately prosperous
society in all respects. China’s economy has risen from the sixth to the second
place in the world. The country has undergone new historic changes: Its
productive forces and economic, scientific and technological strength have
increased considerably, the people’s living standards, individual income and
social security have improved significantly, and its overall national strength
and international competitiveness and influence have been enhanced
substantially. During this period, China has seen continuous economic
development, steady improvement in democracy, and increasing cultural
prosperity and social stability, and we have worked hard to ensure and
improve the people’s wellbeing and brought them more benefits than ever
before. And all this is widely recognized. These historic successes are attributable
to the correct guidance of the Party’s basic theory, line, program and experience;
they have been achieved on the firm foundation laid since the founding of New
China in 1949 and particularly since the adoption of the policy of reform and
opening up in 1978; and they are the fruits of the united efforts of the whole
Party and the people of all ethnic groups in China.
Here, on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of
China, I wish to express our heartfelt thanks to the people of all ethnic groups
in China, to the democratic parties, people’s organizations and patriots from all
walks of life, to our compatriots in the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan as well as
overseas Chinese, and to our foreign friends who view favorably and support
China’s modernization drive.
The most important achievement in our endeavors in the past ten years is
that we have formed the Scientific Outlook on Development and put it into
practice by following the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong
Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three
Represents and by making courageous theoretical innovations on the basis of
practices and developing closely interconnected new ideas and viewpoints on
upholding and building socialism with Chinese characteristics. The
Scientific Outlook on Development was created by integrating Marxism with
the reality of contemporary China and with the underlying features of our
times, and it fully embodies the Marxist worldview on and methodology for
development. This theory provides new scientific answers to the major
questions of what kind of development China should achieve in a new
environment and how the country should achieve it. It represents a new level

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