Hu Jintao

General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee

President of the People's Republic of China

September 3, 2004

Honored Guests and Friends,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, on behalf of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government, I would like to express my sincere congratulations on the convocation of the Third International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) in Beijing and extend a warm welcome to all the honored guests attending the conference.

Through the joint efforts of Asian political parties, the ICAPP has undergone four years of development during which it has come to provide an important arena where these parties can interact with each other. It has already become an important channel for promoting regional cooperation and development and an important link through which the people of all Asian countries increase their understanding, enhance their friendship, strengthen their mutual trust and cement their unity. This Conference will focus on the theme of exchange, cooperation and development, carry out intensive discussions and release the Beijing Declaration on the consensus among Asian political parties. All this is a sign of the positive trend of continuously developing cooperation among these parties.

The 20th century was one in which earthshaking changes occurred in Asia. During those 100 years, the people of all Asian countries engaged in epic struggles to change their destinies. They first won national liberation and independence for their countries and then proceeded to make great achievements in economic development and social progress exhibiting vitality for vigorous development. Since entering the 21st century, the tortuous progress of world multipolarization and economic globalization and the rapid advance of science and technology have brought about rare opportunities for development as well as severe challenges that cannot be neglected. There are various kinds of instabilities and uncertainties in the world today and developing countries still face great difficulties in their development. However, peace and development are still the themes of contemporary times; and the world's desire for peace, countries' desire for development, people's desire for cooperation and society's desire for progress constitute an irresistible historical trend. It is gratifying that peace, development and cooperation have already become dominant trends in Asia, Asia's economic development is becoming ever more vigorous, its ability to resist risk is increasing, and the prospects for peace and development are bright.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In order to lead its people in building their country well and continuously do a good job of satisfying, protecting and developing the vital interests of the vast majority of its people, a political party must conform to the tide of the times, grasp opportunities for development, rely on the wisdom and power of the people, and take a road of development that accords with its country's circumstances. After it was founded in the early 20th century, the CPC led the Chinese people through 28 years of arduous struggle to overthrow imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism, which together weighed like mountains on the backs of the people. It established New China in the mid 20th century and opened a broad avenue upon which the country could thrive and prosper and the people could become rich and happy. In the last 20 plus years, the CPC has united and led the people in keeping to the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics, unswervingly carrying forward reform and opening up, developing the socialist market economy, and carrying out the modernization drive. Achievements recorded during this period have been acknowledged the world over. In general, the Chinese people have achieved a moderately prosperous standard of living.

Although its reform and opening up has achieved great success, China is still in the primary stage of socialism and will remain there for a long time, and it still has to overcome many difficulties and challenges on the road ahead. To achieve China's modernization and the common prosperity of all the people, we must unremittingly work hard for a long time to come. China has already set the objectives for the first 20 years of this century. They are to raise the moderately prosperous standard of living even higher in all respects for the benefit of all of China's one billion plus people, and to make its economy more developed, democracy more perfect, culture more flourishing, science and education more advanced, society more harmonious, and people more affluent. In order to achieve these objectives, the CPC will take Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents as its guide as it conscientiously puts into practice its conception of all-round, coordinated and sustainable development that puts people first, unwaveringly carries reform and opening up forward, continuously improves its methods of leadership and governance, does a better job of uniting and leading the Chinese people in their ongoing efforts to carry the modernization drive forward, brings about the complete reunification of the motherland, and safeguards world peace and promotes common development.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the statement of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Fifty years ago, China, together with some other Asian countries, set forth the Five Principles, making an important contribution to promoting harmony among Asian countries and the democratization of international relations between them. Now, although the international situation has undergone profound changes, the Five Principles are still an important cornerstone for building an international political and economic order that is just and equitable. The consensus that has been reached by the ICAPP has the same spirit as the Five Principles. Both are beneficial to safeguarding world peace and promoting common development, and both are beneficial to establishing an international political and economic order that is just and equitable. China will always unswervingly hold high the banner of peace, development and cooperation, maintain an independent foreign policy of peace and a foreign policy of friendship and partnership with our neighbors, and pursue a foreign policy of living in harmony with our neighboring countries, sharing security with them and helping them prosper. It will also respect the principles of independence, complete equality, mutual respect and noninterference in each other's internal affairs in its party-to-party contacts, earnestly and sincerely develop comprehensive cooperative relations with all countries and similarly develop party-to-party contacts with all political parties to help promote relations between their countries and friendship between their peoples. In its relations with all Asian countries China will always engage in political contacts on the basis of equality and mutual trust, economic dealings on the basis of mutual benefits and win-win agreements, cultural exchanges on the basis of learning from each other, and security dealings on the basis of dialogue and cooperation, and it will work hard to achieve sustained peace and common prosperity in Asia.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

China cannot develop without Asia, and Asia cannot prosper without China. The CPC is willing to strengthen its exchanges and cooperation with all Asian political parties and enter a new phase in Asia's rejuvenation hand in hand with them. We believe that with the joint efforts of all the political parties here in attendance, the Third ICAPP certainly can achieve positive results and contribute to prosperity and progress in Asia.

Let me propose a toast

To the continuous development of cooperation among all Asian political parties,

To the complete success of this conference, and

To the health of all our honored guests!