On Monday in Beijing Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Hu Jintao, emphasized the importance of the rule of law in government.

 

Hu told a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee that governance in a scientific and democratic way and in accordance with the law would significantly strengthen the administrative capability and the progressive nature of the Party.

 

Under the leadership of the Party, the rule of law should let the people be the masters of the country, Hu said. The Party should consistently reform, improve its governance and serve the people while demonstrating, developing and maintaining its vanguard character.

 

Hu said the Party came to realize the importance of the rule of law by deepening its knowledge of its own administration and summarizing its long-term practices and experience.

 

Adherence to the rule of law showed the Party clearly understood its historic role and tasks in building a socialist society with Chinese characteristics.

 

To rule in a scientific way was a premise to the success of the Party, Hu said. Under the instruction of the scientific theory of Marxism, the Party should consistently study and observe the rules of the communist parties' ruling, the construction of socialist countries and the social development of human race.?

 

Hu stressed that the Party should lead the Chinese people to build a socialist country with its own characteristics by developing appropriate scientific thoughts and working mechanisms. The Party should also draw-up and implement its policies and principles in a scientific way.

 

The Party shouldered the task of governing and rejuvenating the country, Hu said. To achieve this goal, the Party should lead the people to construct the country in a scientific way and endeavor to realize and protect the fundamental interests of everyone. .

 

Policy making should be progressed in a scientific way and welcome public opinion so that policies are objective and conform with what people wish for. ?

 

Hu said to rule in a democratic way was a requirement of the Marxist Party in power which was to serve and rely on the people. The Party should push forward the democratic governance by establishing a democratic mechanism and a set of standards and procedures which ensure people are the masters of the country.

 

The Party was built for the public, it exercises state power for the people and all its work should focus on and serve the fundamental interests of the people, Hu said. The government must function with the mandate of the people, empathize with their feelings and work for the good of the people.

 

He pointed out that China should further improve its democratic system to ensure that people?actively and innovatively participate in selection, policy-making, administration and supervision.

 

Democracy within the Party should also be improved to strengthen supervision over the use of power and ensure that power given by the people was used for the people, Hu stressed.

 

Rule of law was a fundamental ruling method of the Party under the current situation, Hu said. The Party should govern and construct the country according to law, lead the people to make rules and set a good example by obeying the rules. Only when the whole of society understood the rule of law could the people effectively construct their country under the leadership of the Party.

 

The Party's role in leading the process of legislation should be promoted so that implementation of the Party's guidelines and policies could be guaranteed by the law, Hu said.

 

All Party members should abide by the constitution and laws, Hu said, adding that more support should be given to relevant government administrations to safeguard citizen's interests.

 

Hu called on Party organizations at all levels to stick to the scientific and democratic way of ruling in accordance with law while making efforts to enhance the Party's administrative capability and progressive nature.

 

At the meeting the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee listened to lectures on rule of law given by scholars with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 4, 2006)