The 16th CPC National Congress will raise its curtain Friday morning and last for a week through November 14.

The editorial calls the Party Congress, the first for the CPC in the new century, "a very important congress convened at a time when China has entered a new development stage of building a society in an all-round way in which the people can lead a fairly comfortable life and accelerating the socialist modernization drive".

Despite a rapidly-changing international situation and the test of various difficulties and dangers, China, guided by the third-generation central collective leadership of the CPC with Jiang Zemin at the core, has achieved major progress in all fields in the past 13 years since the Fourth Plenum of the 13th CPC Central Committee, especially in the five years since the 15th CPC National Congress was held, says the editorial.

"In the past 13 years, the reform and opening up drive has achieved historic breakthroughs, our country's overall national strength has grown remarkably, the great cause of peaceful reunification of the motherland has made major advancement, the people's life has taken a historic leap from being adequately fed and dressed to being fairly well-off, and a brand new situation has emerged for the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics," it says.

The editorial says that the thought of "Three Represents" has provided fundamental answers to vital questions like what kind of a political party the CPC should become and how to further develop the CPC in the new domestic and global situation and in the 21st century which is full of various challenges.

"By firmly and comprehensively implementing the 'Three Represents' important thought, our Party will be able to always lead the progress of the times and constantly enhance its creativity, unity and competence, while our country will be able to always maintain stability and great vitality," it says.

The editorial finally wishes every success to the Party Congress, expressing the confidence that the 2,100-strong delegates to the Congress will "definitely live up to the expectations of the 66 million CPC members and the 1.2 billion Chinese people" and "make the Congress a united, upward and triumphant meeting".

(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2002)