China on Wednesday published the Resolution on Major Issues Regarding the Building of a Harmonious Socialist Society, which was adopted at the conclusion of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on October 11.

The resolution highlights the importance, guidelines, goals and principles of building a socialist harmonious society; coordinated development; social equity and justice; cultural harmony and the ideological and ethical foundations of social harmony; and the need to improve public administration to build a vigorous and orderly society.

It says social harmony is the intrinsic element of socialism with Chinese characteristics and an important guarantee of the country's prosperity, the nation's rejuvenation and the people's happiness.

The resolution stresses the harmonious socialist society is to be built and shared by all Chinese along the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics and under the leadership of the CPC.

"We must always remain sober minded, vigilant, thoroughly understand the situation of the country in the current phase of development, study and analyze the contradictions and problems and their origins in a scientific way, be more active in facing up to the conflicts and solving them, and try our utmost to increase harmonious factors and reduce disharmonious factors to consistently boost social harmony," it says.

The resolution also puts forward the principles to be followed, the main objectives and tasks for building a harmonious socialist society by 2020.

Goals for 2020 include "further improvement of the socialist democratic and legal system; implementation of the fundamental principle of administering the country according to law; guaranteeing respect for people's rights and interests; narrowing the gap between urban and rural development and between different regions; favoring the emergence of a reasonable and orderly income distribution pattern; increase of household wealth and enabling people to lead more affluent lives".

Further 2020 goals include "a relatively high employment rate and the establishment of a social security system covering both urban and rural residents; further improvements to the basic public service system and significant improvements to government administrative and service levels; enhanced ideological and moral qualities, scientific and cultural qualities and health status of the whole nation; further progress in fostering a sound moral atmosphere and harmonious interpersonal relationships; enhanced creativity of society as a whole and the development of an innovation-based nation," it said.

"The public administration system needs further improvement and social order needs to be maintained; resources need to be used more efficiently and the ecological environment visibly improved; progress must be made in building a moderately prosperous society to benefit the Chinese people of more than one billion; people must be encouraged to do their best according to their abilities, everyone should be provided for and people should live together in harmony," the resolution reads.

It stresses that the CPC's role as the core leadership is critical for building a harmonious socialist society. The principle that the Party is organized for the people and exercises power on behalf of the people must be adhered to.

"The CPC's efforts in improving governance and promoting progress are the political guarantee for the construction of a harmonious socialist society."

(Xinhua News Agency October 19, 2006)