Expanding Democracy

The Chinese characters for democracy (Minzhu)turned up to be one of the most extensively used political concept in Hu's report, showing up at least 60 times.

China will "expand people's democracy and ensure that they are masters of the country," Hu told more than 2,200 delegates attending the congress, telecast live by national TV and radio stations.

China need to improve institutions for democracy, diversify its forms and expand its channels, and carry out democratic election, decision-making and administration and oversight in accordance with the law to guarantee the people's rights to be informed, to participate, to be heard and to oversee, Hu said.

Hu also said that the CPC will "expand intra-Party democracy to develop people's democracy" by increasing transparency in Party affairs and "opposing and preventing arbitrary decision-making by an individual or a minority of people."

With the recent promotion of two non-Communists -- Wan Gang and Chen Zhu -- to cabinet ministers, Hu promised that the Party will "select and recommend a greater number of outstanding non-CPC persons for leading positions."

Hu vowed to continue to intensify anti-graft fight "to see to it that all cases involving violation of law and discipline are thoroughly investigated and dealt with, and all corruptionists are severely punished according to law without fail."

Hundreds of thousands of corrupt officials, including former Shanghai Party chief Chen Liangyu, were nabbed in the past five years. In 2006 alone, more than 90,000 members of the Party were disciplined, statistics show.

The ancient Chinese philosophy of harmony has been enshrined in China's domestic policies, and China is also introducing it to the world by calling for building a harmonious world.

Hu also said China is to modernize its armed forces but stressed that "China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, and it does not engage in arms race or pose a military threat to any other country."

"China opposes all forms of hegemonism and power politics and will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion," he said.

Hu condemned the forces of "Taiwan independence" for stepping up their secessionist activities and seriously jeopardizing the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations. He made a "solemn appeal" that "on the basis of the one-China principle, let us discuss a formal end to the state of hostility between the two sides, reach a peace agreement, construct a framework for peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, and thus usher in a new phase of peaceful development."

Hu also summed up the achievements China has made in the past five years and in the past three decades since the reform and opening up policy was initiated, while paying passionate tribute to the three generations of CPC leadership headed by Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin for their glorious legacies in building New China.