Chinese top leaders Hu Jintao (C), Wu Bangguo (4th R), Wen Jiabao (4th L), Jia Qinglin (3rd R), Li Changchun (3rd L), Xi Jinping (2nd R), Li Keqiang (2nd L), He Guoqiang (1st R) and Zhou Yongkang (1st L) attend a grand gathering marking the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing, July 1, 2011. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)
TESTS AND DANGERS
When mentioning challenges faced by the CPC, President Hu said "We are facing long-term, complicated and severe tests in governing the country, in implementing reform and opening up and in developing the market economy, as well as tests in the external environment."
And the Party is confronted with the growing danger of lack of drive, incompetence, disconnect of the people, lack of initiative, and corruption. It has become even more important and urgent than ever before for the Party to police itself and impose strict discipline on its members, he said.
Some experts believe that the challenges, embodied in various aspects of China's current economic development and social management, pose "a full spectrum" of tests to the CPC's governance ability.
Regarding challenges in the market economy, Cai He, a labor expert from the Sun Yat-sen University, said industrial workers will inevitably seek constant wage increases with inflation on the rise, which, however, would likely cause difficulties for a large number of labor-intensive enterprises.
"The CPC needs to take into account the overall interests of the Chinese society. We understand the difficulty in meeting the requirements of both the workers and enterprises," Cai said.
Zhang Yubiao, an experienced village Party official in the southern city of Shenzhen, said the CPC works in a practical and innovative way which allows it to get through difficulties.
