Second, making revisions to the Party Constitution

Another important task of the Eighteenth Party Congress is to make revisions to the Party Constitution. The current Party Constitution was revised and adopted at the Twelfth CPC National Congress in September 1982. Over the past 30 years, revisions have been made to the Party Constitution to varying degrees by successive national Party congresses, starting with the Thirteenth National Party Congress, in response to new developments and tasks while leaving its basic content unchanged. Practice shows that these revisions have enabled the Party Constitution to better regulate and guide the Party's work and Party building.

When the CPC Central Committee solicited opinions in January this year about what should be included on the agenda of the Eighteenth Party Congress, many localities and departments proposed that revisions be made to the Party Constitution at the Eighteenth Party Congress to recognize the Party's innovations in theory and the progress in its practice, respond to new developments and meet the need to improve the Party's work and strengthen Party building. On the basis of drawing on these proposals, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee met and decided to make revisions, as appropriate, to the Party Constitution. The following points were stressed by the Political Bureau: In making revisions to the Party Constitution, we must follow the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents, fully implement the Scientific Outlook on Development and incorporate into the Party Constitution the important theories and strategic thinking affirmed in the political report to the Eighteenth Party Congress. We must encourage intra-Party democracy and pool the wisdom of the whole Party. We should keep the overall framework of the Party Constitution unchanged and revise only those parts that must be revised in accordance with the consensus reached within the Party. We should ensure that the revised Party Constitution fully embodies the latest achievements in adapting Marxism to China's conditions, the major strategic thinking developed by the Party Central Committee since the Seventeenth Party Congress and the new experience the Party has gained in its work and Party building so as to meet the new requirements created by new developments and tasks for the Party's work and Party building.

On September 4, 2012, the draft revisions to the Party Constitution were referred to 4,015 Party members in different regions and departments for comments. They had in-depth discussions of the revisions and reported their proposed changes to them to the Party Central Committee in a timely way. New draft revisions to the Party Constitution were prepared by pooling the wisdom of the whole Party. With the unanimous approval of the Seventeenth CPC Central Committee at its Seventh Plenary Session, the draft will be submitted to the Eighteenth Party Congress for deliberation.