Major global news media give prominence to conclusion of CPC congress

Source: Xinhuanet | 10-22-2007 08:57

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Major global news media have continued to give prominence to the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which closed here on Sunday.

Japan's Jiji News Agency and Kyodo News Service said China has shown its concerns about peoples lives by incorporating the "scientific outlook on development" into the party's constitution.

Jiji said the amendment of the party's constitution showed China is going to adjust its economic-growth-orientated policy, focus on building a harmonious society, pursue a sustainable and stable economic growth, narrow the gap between the rich and poor, better protect the environment and make its people more affluent.

Kyodo said raising the ratio in competitive elections to over eight percent in the preliminary election of the Central Committee has shown democracy within the party.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said in a report that the resolution adopted by the congress on the amendment to the CPC constitution to enshrine the "scientific outlook on development" was a milestone in the party's history and meant the focus of China's economic growth would shift from being growth-oriented to the realization of stability and distribution.

The "scientific outlook on development" values rational thinking. At it's core is putting people first and a basic requirement is balanced and sustainable development, the Yonhap report said.

This outlook aims to serve the people, to work for their well-being, and calls for development that benefits the people and is based on the notion that the fruits of growth should be shared by all, Yonhap said.

The outlook would be combined with the theory of building a harmonious society, which strives to solve problems such as the urban-rural gap, the rich-poor gap and unbalanced development and gives priority to environmental protection, Yonhap said.

The Associated Press (AP), Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP) ran updated stories on the election of the new Central Committee and the new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, as well as the conclusion of the congress.

The AP said the result will determine how strong the leadership is "as it tries to ease tensions over a wide rich-poor gap at home and manage China's rising clout abroad."

The AP also reported that a revision to the party's constitution endorses "the scientific outlook on development," calling for increased social spending to help farmers and urban workers whose living standards have not risen as fast as many other Chinese.

Reuters said that the "scientific outlook of development" aims to "divert more prosperity to backward villages and poor workers" and to clean up fouled skies and waterways.

The Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA) also reported on the conclusion of the Congress and the insertion of the Scientific Outlook on Development into the party constitution.

The report cited General Secretary Hu Jintao as saying: "The scientific outlook on development takes development as its essence, putting people first as its core, and comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development as its basic requirement."

The scientific outlook on development requires China to move towards more sustainable growth and create a "harmonious society" by reducing the economic inequalities that have resulted from the economic developments, the DPA report said.

The China Press newspaper, published in the United States, covered at length the closing of the 17th CPC National Congress. An editorial of the paper said people's livelihood has become "the core of China's future development."

In Hu's report, China's economic growth was for the first time expressed in per capita terms rather than overall economic growth. This was a sign that the focus of economic growth is not only on strengthening the economy, but more importantly on enriching the whole population and that any development must benefit the general public.

"This is a strategic shift in China's outlook on development," the paper said.

Other international media such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the Australian Associated Press and electronic and web news media of Singapore also issued reports on the closing of the CPC National Congress.

Editor:Xiong Qu