In 2009, the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) should strengthen its own organization by persisting on reform and opening-up, pushing forward scientific development and promoting social harmony to maintain stable and relative fast economic growth.

CPC organizations at different levels and departments should implement the essence of the Party's 17th Congress, Third Plenary Session of the Seventeenth CPC Central Committee and the recent Central Economic Work Conference.

These were remarks by Xi Jinping, vice state president and member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, at Saturday's conference which was attended by the directors of provincial-level organizational departments of the CPC.

The conference was presided by Li Yuanchao, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Organizational Department of the CPC Central Committee.

In his speech, Xi called it a major political task to deeply study and implement the speech made by CPC Central Committee General Secretary Hu Jintao at the December 18 gathering commemorating the historic Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central Committee in December 1978, which ushered in China's three-decade old Reform and Opening-up Drive.

He called for firmly upholding the great banner of socialism with China's own characteristics, implementing the Party's basic theory, line, guiding principles, and experience, persisting in ideological emancipation, seeking truth from realities, keeping pace with the times, and reform and innovation.

Priority should be given to morals in selecting a Party cadre, while promoting those who are really able and fruitful, Xi said, regarding the issue of personnel reform. The ethical standards for Party cadres should include political ethics, professional ethics, family ethics and social morals, he said.

The morals of Party officials should be examined by checking their behaviors in dealing with accidents, fighting natural disasters, as well as facing issues like promotion and demotion along with their deeds in routine work, Xi said. Officials' morals could also be judged by observing their behaviors in dealing with trivial things, he added.

Xi urged Party officials to discipline themselves and keep distance from corruption. He also called for further standardizing the methods and process in promotion, promoting internal democracy in the Party, and strengthening and improving the Party's development at the grassroots level in an overall manner.

(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2008)