The 15th National Congress of the CPC

The 15th National Congress of the CPC——中共十五大

The 15th National Congress of the CPC was held in Beijing from September 12 to 18, 1997.

It was attended by 2,048 full delegates and 60 special delegates representing over 58 million Party members. On behalf of the 14th CPC Central Committee, Jiang Zemin delivered a report entitled "Hold High the Great Banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory and Comprehensively Advance the Cause of Building Socialism with Chinese Characteristics into the 21st Century".

This congress summed up the experience of China's reform and development, adopted the concept of Deng Xiaoping Theory, and acknowledged its historic status and guiding significance; proposed the basic platform of the CPC in the primary stage of socialism, and elaborated on the economic, political and cultural features and requirements of Chinese socialism; confirmed that the basic economic system in the primary stage of socialism involves keeping public ownership as the mainstay of the economy and allowing diverse forms of ownership to develop side by side; identified the strategy through to the end of the century and proposed a new "Three Steps" development strategy; and emphasized the need to rule the country by law and build a socialist country under the rule of law. The Amended Constitution of the Communist Party of China was adopted at the congress establishing Deng Xiaoping Theory as the Party's guiding ideology.

The congress elected 193 members and 151 alternate members to form the new Central Committee. The new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of 115 members was also established. At the First Plenary Session of the 15th CPC Central Committee that followed, the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee were formed. Jiang Zemin was elect- ed general secretary of the Central Committee and made chairman of the Central Military Commission. The session also approved Wei Jianxing as secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The 15th CPC National Congress was an important gathering at the turn of the century which emphasized the importance of Deng Xiaoping Theory. It explicitly answered a number of major questions related to the theory and practice of China's reform, opening up and socialist modernization, and provided important guarantees in thinking, politics and organiztion for China in the new century.