An article published on Haiwainet summarized the amendments to the constitution which were passed at the second plenary session of the 19th Party Central Committee held on January 18 and 19. According to the article, four revisions have been made since the first Constitution was adopted in 1954. They were in 1988, 1993, 1999, and 2004.

Below is a summary of the amendments made at the recent plenary session:
1) Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics was the result from the latest achievements of Marxism in China. It is 21st century Marxism and should serve as the guiding principal for the party and the nation to follow on a long term basis.
2) The leadership of the Chinese Communist Party is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. We must uphold and strengthen the party’s leadership over all work.
3) Form “five developments” in “economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization” by using the concepts of “innovation, coordination, greenness, openness, and sharing” to develop China into a Well-off Society by 2020, a basic socialist modernized nation by 2035, and a powerful modern socialist country by the middle of this century. At the same time, we also need to realize the great renaissance of the Chinese nation. It is of great significance to inspire and guide the entire party and the people as well as the people of all nationalities to make a concerted effort.
4) Adhering to the road of peaceful development, adhering to the opening-up strategy for mutual benefit, and promoting the development of a common community of human beings are of great significance in promoting the lofty cause of mankind’s peaceful development.
5) The reform of the state supervisory system is a major reform of the political system that is related to the overall situation. It is a major policy-making plan for strengthening the self-supervision of the party and the state. It is necessary to establish a law on an anti-corruption work organ under the unified leadership of the party; to establish a centralized, authoritative, and efficient national surveillance system; and to achieve the full coverage of all public officers exercising their public authority.

Source: Haiwainet, January 19, 2018
http://opinion.haiwainet.cn/n/2018/0119/c456317-31240914.html

Xinhua reported that, on January 11, Xi Jinping made an important speech at the second plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee. Xi analyzed the existing anti-corruption environment and vowed to continue to “fix the issue on the surface while looking for the root cause in order to achieve an overwhelming victory in combating corruption.” Xi listed the following six targeted areas:
1) Be persistent with zero tolerance on the anti-corruption effort and with 100 percent coverage. Where corruption is involved, apply restraint, pressure, and threats. Investigate both parties – those who offer and those who accept – bribes. Clean up past due corruption cases and minimize the increases in the number of corruption cases.
2) Change the focus of the anti-corruption effort so it shifts more towards the grassroots level and apply severe remediation on corruption cases among the officials who work closely with the general public.
3) Tackle gang organizations and the “protective umbrella” behind them.
4) Increase collaboration with international legal teams to threaten the corrupt criminals.
5) Make the officials fearful and conscious so they are afraid of corruption and don’t want to be corrupt.
6) Launch a reform of regulations and form effective systems to cut off the network among the interested parties while enforcing legal restrictions and supervision.

Source: Xinhua, January 19, 2018
http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2018-01/19/c_1122281826.htm

People’s Daily published a commentary on its front page calling upon China to take full advantage of the promising historic opportunity it has to realize the “Chinese Dream.” The article is a follow-up to the speech that Xi Jinping gave on January 5 at the seminar on studying and implementing the main ideas of the 19th CPC National Congress, where he stated that China is at a period of promising historic opportunity.

The commentary stated, “(This historic opportunity) is the inevitable change in the world over the centuries. In today’s world, ‘democratic deficits,’ ‘governance deficits,’ and ‘development pitfalls’ have come one after the other. Such issues as polarization between the rich and poor, terrorism, and climate change have been emerging constantly. The international political and economic system dominated by capitalism is displaying multiple disadvantages. The global governance system is undergoing profound changes. A new international order is being built. What’s wrong with the world? Where do humans go? These problems are distressing and confusing to politicians, scholars, and the general public all over the world. However, history has not ended. The practices in China have provided a completely new choice for solving the common problems of mankind. Today, as mankind is becoming a common community of destiny, the world has never been so concerned about China and so much in need of China. This has opened up a vast strategic space for us to adhere to peaceful development and gain advantages.”

“This historic period of opportunity encompasses all dimensions, not only in economic development but also in acceleration of the revolution in science and technology and industry, increasing the influence of Chinese culture. There are also more applause given to China’s wisdom and China’s programs. … From an internal point of view, China’s development has entered the stage of qualitative improvement after the accumulation of quantities and has progressed from a phase of rapid growth to a period of high-quality development. The Chinese wheels are now being driven out of the historical gorges and into the vast waters of the vast sea. From the perspective of the world, ‘a world of chaos’ is in stark contrast to ‘the orderly rule of China.’ The world’s eyes are moving eastward and the scenery of China has become the vision of more and more countries.”

Source: People’s Daily, January 185, 2018
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2018-01/15/nw.D110000renmrb_20180115_6-01.htm