Jt all ma FEATURES 13th Congress, Communist Party of China Blueprint for political restructuring - The 13th Congress of the Communist Party of China took place in Beijing, October 25-November 1, and brought together 1,936 delegates representing the CPC’ s 46 million members to consider, as CPC Acting Gen- eral Secretary, Zhao Ziyang said in his main report, the next steps ‘‘toward the grand objectives of socialist modernization ...’’ Atits close, the Congress elected a Central Committee of 175 full and 110 alternate members and approved the main report. Meeting on Nov. 2, the new Central Commit- tee elected its various bodies and named Zhao Ziyang as General Secretary. The following report of the 13th Congress appeared in Beijing Review, Nov. 9: * * * The thesis of China being in the prim- ary stage of socialism is comprehensive- ly and thoroughly expounded in the re- port delivered to the 13th National Con- gress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). It was worked out on the basis of China’s specific conditions. The report states that China is not in the position envisaged by the founders of Marxism. They saw socialism being built, on the basis of highly developed capitalism. Neither is China exactly comparable with other socialist countries. China used to be a semi-feudal, semi- colonial country. Through the new- democratic revolution led by the Com- munist Party, China moved directly into socialism skipping the stage of fully de- veloped capitalism. China has a poor industrial foundation, backward produc- tive forces, and an underdeveloped commodity economy. This situation dic- tates that having entered socialism, China must go through a very long prim- ary stage in which to achieve industrial- izationand commercialization, socializa- tion and modernization of production which the Marxist theory anticipated tak- ing place in many countries under capitalism. Primary Stage Although social productive forces have developed remarkably since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, they are, to this day, still very low, especially when compared with those in the developed countries. China ranks eighth in the wor'd in terms of gross na- tional product (GNP), but 100th for per- capita GNP; China ranks first in the world in total grain output, but its per- capita share of grain is only 20 percent that of the United States. China’s large- scale industrial production has de- veloped, but its pre-industrialization. economic pattern has not changed fundamentally. Rural labour accounts for over 60 percent of all the nation’s work force. The level of the rural economy’s commercialization and socialization is very low, the rate of commodity grain is less than 30 percent. Although some of China’s sophisticated sciences are at the world level, in general its sciences and technologies lag far be- hind those of the developed countries. A quarter of China’s population is illiterate or semi-literate. Obviously, China can- not in one move achieve the level of pro- ductivity the developed countries at- tained in several centuries. It is esti- mated that China will reach the level of a moderately developed country in the middle of next century. The primary Stage of socialism will then cover 100 years from the mid-1950s when China basically accomplished the socialist transformation of the ownership of the means of production. The CPC came to the correct conclu- sion that China is still in the primary Stage of socialism only after it reviewed both the positive and negative experi- ences in socialist construction, especial- ly after drawing the lessons of the set- backs caused by “‘leftist’’ guidelines. Left Errors The two decades after 1957 were marked by the Party’s ‘‘left’’ mistakes made in its cause of socialism. For ex- ample, it did not take the development of productive forces as the central task, but rather it stressed ‘‘taking class struggle as the key link’’; in economic construc- tion, it overlooked the objective law and attempted to catch up and surpass the developed countries in one strike by making steel in the courtyards and other “great leap forward’’ fiascos. It rushed to set up the people’s communes, raise the degree of public ownership and prac- tise absolute egalitarianism. Many cor- rect policies facilitating economic development and the improvement of people’s lives were cast aside as . “capitalist’’ and ‘‘revisionist.’’ These were replaced by policies which were seemingly very revolutionary but were actually jeopardizing the revolution. These mistakes culminated in the launch- ing of the ‘‘cultural revolution.”’ An important cause of these ‘“‘left’’ mistakes was a lack of proper under- standing of the implications of China’s being so poor and backward, that a very 22 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 16, 1987 Chen Yun, Deng Xiaoping, Zhao Ziya ng, Li Xiannian and Hu Yaobang at the meeting. long primary stage of socialism was required. : After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee in 1978, the CPC began to correct these ‘‘left’’ mistakes. The thesis that China is in the primary stage of socialism was first set forth in the CPC Central Committee’s 1981 Resolu- tion on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party Since the Founding of the People’s Republic of China, and reaf- firmed in the Central Committee’s 1986 Resolution on the Guiding Principles for Building Socialist Society With an Ad- vanced Culture and Ideology. Recognition of the fact that China is in the primary stage of socialism enables us to grasp the key to comprehending and solving the major issues of China today. Thus the political line of building social- ism with Chinese characteristics and a series of principles and policies were formulated on the basis of China’s own conditions. Central Task The primary stage theory is widely recognized as promoting the continuity and stability of China’s current policies. It means that the development of the productive forces will be made the cen- tral task, that China must reform its ossi- fied structures. It also necessitates Chi- na’s opening up to the outside world, importing advanced foreign science and technology, management expertise and funds. All this is good news for foreign investors. . (Above) CP China General Secretary Zhao Ziyang. (Left) 13th Congress of the | Communist Party of China. Oct 25-Nov. 1, 87. | In this primary stage, China will build democracy, socialist culture and ethics: it will also oppose the influence of dec@ dent feudalist and capitalist ideas and st rive to raise the people’s scientific am! cultural level. Members of the CPC generally sup” port the Party’s current line and policies, — uphold socialism and favour reform at opening up, but there are also a handful | of people who stick to ossified notions oF | negate socialism. a This is often due to differences !# understanding. Some people whos? — “‘left’’ thinking is deeply rooted fail 0 keep pace with reform; some depart from the basic tenets of Marxism-Leninism pursue ‘emancipation of the mind.”’ A” this will obstruct the proper implement@ tion of the Party’s political line. Grasping Reality The report points out that the thesis of the primary stage implies first, China 1 already a socialist society, and must persevere with socialism; and second, China’s socialist society is still in if primary stage and it must proceed from this reality and not jump over this stage Under the specific historical condition§ of contemporary China, to refuse to be” lieve that the Chinese people can take thé socialist road without completing thé stage of fully developed capitalism is # mechanistic view on the question of thé development of revolution. This is thé cognitive root of right deviationist mis takes. On the other hand, to believe that it is possible to jump over the primary stage of socialism during which the pro- ductive forces are to be highly developed is a utopian view on this question. This ve the major cognitive root of ‘left mistakes. In elaborating this, the report to thé 13th Party Congress helps unify and rais¢ the whole Party’s understanding, pre- vent and overcome both ‘‘left’’ and right interference and enhance the politic consciousness of its members in imple- menting the Party’s correct line. Theory comes from the summing up 9 experience and in turn promotes prac tice. The 13th Party Congress’ exposi- tions on the primary stage of socialism are evidence that the Party has had richet experience and become politically mor mature. Inspired by the spirit of the 13th Party Congress, the Chinese Commu- nists and the Chinese people will stridé forward confidently.