"I would never let down all the deputies and people of all ethnic groups throughout the country," Hu said at the closing ceremony of the First Session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing Tuesday morning.

Hu praised his predecessor, Jiang Zemin, for his able leadership and his outstanding contributions to building socialism with Chinese characteristics during the 10 years of his tenure.

He said that his able leadership in correctly sizing up the domestic and international situation and his political courage and great efforts to build a strong country "have won him the heartfelt love and respect from the Chinese people and the universal approval of the international community."

Describing his mandate as having been received "in the capriciously changing international situation and at a time when the tasks of building the country are heavy," Hu pledged to do the following in order to perform the sacred duties endowed by the people.

"First, to give full scope to democracy and do everything according to law, adhere to Party leadership, hold fast to the principle of bringing Party leadership into perfect harmony with the efforts to make the people the masters of the country and to rule the country by law, unswervingly safeguard the systems and principles of socialist democracy, and maintain the integrity and dignity of the socialist legal system."

"Second, to be loyal to the motherland and always have the people in heart, place the interests of the state and the people above anything else, exercise power for the people, feel as the people feel and work for their happiness, and always be their faithful servants."

"Third, to carry what has been achieved into the future, advance with the times, carry forward the fine traditions of the Chinese nation, learn from the noble moral characters of the country's older generations of leaders, never indulge in complacency or develop the slightest sloth, and ceaselessly seek progress in the pioneering spirit."

"Fourth, to impose strict self-discipline, keep honest and clean in performing public duties, always maintain a modest, prudent and industrious style of work, and work hard and selflessly night and day for the country and the people."

On behalf of the new generation of central leadership, President Hu pledged sincerity to accept supervision by the deputies and the people throughout the country.

“China's development is at a new historical starting point," said President Hu. "We should emancipate our minds, seek truth from facts, advance with the times and take full advantage of the strategic opportunity period in the first two decades of the 21st century to focus on construction and development, push forward reform and opening-up in a big way, promote a coordinated development of socialist material, political and ideological civilizations, and advance firmly toward the grand goal of building an affluent society."

"The complete reunification of China is the common aspiration of the Chinese people both at home and abroad," said the president. "We shall continue to adhere to the principle of 'one country, two systems' to maintain the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and Macao, exert ourselves to promote economic and cultural exchanges and exchange of visits between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits and continue to work for the earliest settlement of the Taiwan issue and realize the complete reunification of the motherland."

"Chinese is a peace-loving nation. We shall continue the independent foreign policy of peace, maintain and develop friendly and cooperative relations with all other countries and, together with the people of all countries, work for a fair and rational international political and economic order and ceaselessly promote the lofty cause of peace and development of mankind," he said.

Also at the closing ceremony, Wu Bangguo, newly elected chairman of the Standing Committee of the 10th NPC described the session as a "complete success," with all items on the agenda completed as expected thanks to the joint efforts of all NPC deputies.

He said that this session was another important event in China's political life following the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The deputies faithfully performed their duties as endowed by the Constitution and law and entrusted by the people, enabling the session to pass all the resolutions and decisions, fully demonstrating the people's will and representing their interests.

The government work report and other reports adopted at the current session, he said, are the summation of the great achievements and experience the third generation of collective central leadership with Jiang Zemin at the core has made in China' s economic and social development, in building democracy and legal system and in other areas of endeavor over the past five years. They have also laid out plans for this year and the next five years as a whole.

The session, he noted, elected and approved the appointments of the new generation of government leadership according to law, thus providing the organizational guarantee for carrying forward the cause of the state into the future.

He praised the 9th NPC with Li Peng as its Standing Committee chairman for its contributions to building socialist democracy and legal system.

He said that the 10th NPC will build on what has been achieved in legislative work and improve the quality in the making of law. He promised to make a number of new laws and modify some existing ones in line with the new developments of the socialist market economy and the WTO rules to make the legal system basically complete within the term of the 10th NPC as required by the 16th CPC National Congress.

Wu also pledged greater efforts to oversee the government work and the work of the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate and keep close contact with the people and NPC deputies and strictly observe the rules of procedures of the NPC and raise the level of work of the NPC Standing Committee and the NPC as a whole.

The First Session of the 10th NPC adopted a resolution endorsing the Report on the Work of the Government delivered by former Premier Zhu Rongji, approved the Report on the Implementation of the 2002 Plan for National Economic and Social Development and on the Draft 2003 Plan for National Economic and Social Development, presented by Zeng Peiyan, former minister in charge of the State Development Planning Commission.

The meeting also approved the Report on the Implementation of the Central and Local Budgets for 2002 and on the Draft Central and Local Budgets for 2003, presented by former Finance Minister Xiang Huaicheng, adopted a resolution concerning the Work Report of the 9th NPC Standing Committee, a resolution concerning the Work Report of the Supreme People's Court, and a resolution concerning the Work Report of the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

(China.org.cn March 18, 2003)