Daily Times

Earlier this week, China’s national legislature adopted Constitutional Amendments enshrining Xi Jinping’s philosophy on socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a new Era into the Constitution. Two important contents of the amendment are the inclusion of Xi’s thought into the country’s fundamental law — which reflects the common aspirations of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese people, as well as a change in the length of the President’s term of service. China is known for planning forward. It has been lucky to have leaders who have provided with an ideology which has steered the nation through periods of tribulation, getting it to where it is today.

Xi Jinping will now guide China using the collective wisdom of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. He was elected President in 2013, and has approval for another five-year term. It is possible now that he may serve beyond 2023. This is a remarkable development, since Xi Jinping is a statesman who has no equal in the contemporary era. This change will ensure that China has the political stability it needs for the execution of Xi’s plans.

International mega projects like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will bring prosperity to the world.

Reforms incorporated by the CPC 40years ago, have made remarkable progress. The latest changes to China’s Constitution are in addition to the 1988 to 1989 amendments, which included reform of land-use rights, legal status to private economy, the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, replacing the phrase ‘planned economy’ with ‘socialist market economy’ and incorporation of Deng Xiaoping’s theories. The most recent change came in 2002 when Jiang Zemin’s ‘Theory of Three Represents’ received constitutional authority. This thought stipulates that the CPC should be representative of advanced social productive forces, advanced culture, and the interests of the overwhelming majority.

Reforms incorporated by the CPC 40 years ago, have made remarkable progress. The latest changes to China’s Constitution are in addition to the 1988 to 1989 amendments, which included reform of land-use rights, legal status to private economy, the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, replacing the phrase ‘planned economy’ with ‘socialist market economy’ and incorporation of Deng Xiaoping’s theories

According to the latest amendments, it was resolved to move on to all-out efforts to build a great modern socialist country and that the overall goal of deepening reform in every field is to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernise China’s system and capacity of governance.

Deeper reform will form a CPC leadership system that ensures the partial ways provides leadership and coordinates the efforts of all involved; a law based administrative governance system with clear functions and responsibilities, world class armed forces, as well as a sound work -system of people’s organisations for bridging and serving the general populace.

It is heartening to note that the reform will also promote coordinated actions and resultant forces among the people’s congress, governments, political advisory bodies and supervisory, judicial and prosecutorial organs, people’s organizations, enterprises, public institutions, and social organisations under the unified leadership of the CPC.

A primary task of deepening reform of the Party and State institutions is to improve the system for upholding overall Party leadership in a bid to strengthen the CPC’s leadership in every sector, ensure its all-encompassing coverage and make it more effective.

This institutional reform is a revolution, a profound change in national governance, a necessary requirement to strengthen the Party’s long term governance capacity and a prerequisite to build a modern socialist country and realize national rejuvenation.

The changes include a vision of innovative, coordinated, green and open development for all; the five-sphere integrated plan for coordinated economic, political, cultural, social and ecological advancement; the goal of a “great modern socialist country”; and an oath of allegiance to the Constitution.

The amendment has enriched clauses on the patriotic united front, ensuring harmonious relations among ethnic groups, and peaceful foreign policies, including the addition of building a community with a shared future for humanity.

The expression that China will ‘adhere to the peaceful development path and the mutually beneficial strategy of opening-up’ was added to the preamble. Other revisions include adding core socialist values and granting Chinese cities, with subordinate districts, the power to make local laws and regulations.

The people’s congresses and their standing committees in these cities will be able to adopt local laws and regulations under the condition that they do not contradict the Constitution, national laws and regulations, and provincial laws and regulations, according to the amendment.

Supervisory commissions have been listed as state organs in the Constitution, with a section about such organs added to the third chapter, The Structure of the State. The constitutional revision, which accords with the aspiration of the Party and the people and has won approval from both inside and outside the Party, is of historic significance in regards to ensuring China’s security and prosperity.

The writer is a retired Group Captain of PAF. He is a columnist, analyst and TV talk show host, who has authored six books on current affairs, including three on China

Published in Daily Times, March 17^th 2018.