2nd LD-Writethru-China Focus: CPC holds symposium to commemorate Hu Yaobang

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a symposium to commemorate what would have been the 100th birthday of its former general secretary Hu Yaobang on Friday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

CPC leaders including Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli attended the symposium.

Xi spoke about Hu's great and glorious achievements, saying that Hu had made outstanding contributions to China's independence and liberation, its socialist revolution and construction, and the exploration and creation of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Hu was extolled as a time-tested and loyal communist soldier, great proletarian revolutionist and statesman, outstanding political worker of the military and prominent leader of the Party.

He devoted all his life to the Party and the people, Xi said.

"To commemorate Hu Yaobang is to learn from his noble character of always being true to his belief and dedicated to his ideal," said Xi.

"Our highest ideal is communism," Xi quoted Hu as saying. He asked all CPC members to have similar firm faith and ideals, and be more confident in the road, theory and institutions of socialist with Chinese characteristics.

To commemorate Hu is to learn his devotion to the people, Xi said, urging CPC members to formulate policies according to the people's expectations.

Hu was born on Nov. 20, 1915 in Liuyang County in central China's Hunan Province. He joined the CPC when he was 18.

He participated in the Long March, a forced expedition over 12,500 kilometers in the 1930s and played an important role in victories throughout China's war against Japanese aggression, and the war of liberation, Xi said.

During his time as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, from June 1981 to January 1987, he actively participated in implementing major and strategic policies put forward by the CPC's second-generation central leadership headed by Deng Xiaoping, and made important contributions to advancing China's reform and opening-up and socialist modernization, according to Xi.

In commemorating Hu, we should also learn from his "spirit to always seek truth from facts and to blaze new trails," Xi said.

Hu stressed that CPC members must regard "seeking truths from facts" as a basic requirement, and attempts to abandon this will result in setbacks, Xi quoted.

All Party members must uphold the principle of freeing their mind, seeking truth from facts, keeping pace with time and being down to earth, Xi required.

Xi called on all party members to stay true to their integrity, to promote a clean political environment and social ethics, and to win the trust and support of the general public with down-to-earth efforts.

Xi also called on Party members to learn from Hu's stance of taking responsibility when needed.

Today's Party members, confronted with new situations and problems concerning reform, development and stability, should press ahead, take on challenges and face difficulties head on, Xi stressed.

During the symposium, Liu Yunshan said that Xi's remarks provided a comprehensive review of comrade Hu's lifetime of glory and fight. Liu asked everyone to earnestly implement the decisions of the CPC Central Committee with Xi as general secretary. Endit