邓小平文选/坚持党的路线，改进工作方法

Today I want to discuss three subjects: first, this session itself; second, the political, ideological and organizational lines of the Party; and third, methods of work.

as successful as the Third and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party.

The political life of the Party is more spirited now than it has been for many years.

This session, at which everyone has spoken his mind freely, has given genuine expression to the collective wisdom and leadership of the Central Committee, and has set a good example for our inner-Party life

which should be emulated in the Party's leading organs at all other levels.

The issues resolved at this session are all significant ones, namely: the strengthening and improvement of the Party's leadership, including leadership by the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee; the re-establishment of the Secretariat of the Central Committee; the drafting of a revised Party Constitution, and the formulation of the “Guiding Principles for Inner-Party Political Life”.

It must be admitted that the Party's leadership has been impaired for a fairly long period.

To restore the position and role of our Party among our own people of whatever nationality and on the international scene is a vital task for us.

I think the decisions and documents adopted by the present session with a view to accomplishing this task are all correct.

The rehabilitation of Comrade Liu Shaoqi is a major matter and we have handled it very well.

The session has also decided to propose to the National People's Congress the deletion of the provision in Article 45 of the Constitution concerning the si da, that is, speaking out freely, airing one's views fully, writing big-character posters and holding great debates.

In short, the questions discussed at this session are very important ones and have been well handled.

The news of this session and its documents can be expected to evoke widespread and favourable response not only inside our Party and among the whole Chinese people but also in the rest of the world.

For some time, people abroad have been saying that though the line and policies of the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Republic of China may be correct, their continuity and stability are in some doubt.

The documents of this session and the series of political and organizational measures it has adopted provide a good answer to this sort of talk.

Internationally, they will certainly help strengthen the confidence reposed in us by foreign comrades and friends and by others who co-operate with us in varying degrees.

This will help both in China's struggle to achieve the four modernizations and in the international struggle against hegemonism.

Second, the question of adhering to the Party's political, ideological and organizational lines, which I want to speak about at greater length.

Our political line for the present stage has gradually taken shape since the Eleventh National Congress, and especially since the Third and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the Eleventh Central Committee.

Without the four modernizations, many problems are incapable of solution.

The growth of the economy, increasing the national income, gradually improving the people's standard of living, and the corresponding consolidation and strengthening of our national defence -- all these hinge on the success of the four modernizations.

The present plenary session has discussed the draft of the revised Party Constitution.

The purpose of this revision is to further clarify the position and role of the Party in carrying out modernization.

What should a party in power be like?