In the middle of July, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) convened the National Conference on the United Front Work. Later, it put forward guidelines on how to consolidate and expand the united front in the 21st century. Reporters from People's Daily Overseas Edition interviewed an official with the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee. This official contributed his opinions on the new features and decision-making methods for the united front work in the new era.

Since the policy of reform and opening up was adopted in the late 1970s, the CPC Central Committee has convened the National Conference on the United Front Work every five years, and the one held in July is the first in the new century.

Based on the experiences accumulated since the start of reform and opening up, especially in the past six years, and looking forward to the next 15 years, this conference came up with arrangement for the work on the united front for this period of time.

Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made a significant speech at the conference. Focusing on the three historical missions of speeding up the modernization drive, achieving national reunification as well as maintaining world peace and promoting common development of the international community, Hu further emphasized the extreme importance of the consolidation and expansion of the united front in the new century and explicitly defined a series of important theoretical policies on the united front work in the new era and new century.

Explicit guidelines for the united front work targeting on the newly emerged social classes

According to the official with the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, the newly emerged classes are composed of business people in non-public sectors and self-employed intellectuals. At present, China has 4.5 million privately run enterprises, 11 million investors and about 10 million freelancers. Coming into being in the midst of China's reform and opening up, especially of development of the socialist market economy system, the new classes tend to increase and play an increasingly important role in China's economic and social progress.

In the July conference, the CPC's theory and policies were explained in an overall and systematic way for the first time on how to carry out the work related to these new classes. It can be summarized as the following three aspects:

First, the significance of carrying out the work in relation to these new classes was further explained. It was stressed that to unite with the classes as much as possible and to bring their role into full play is required in the CPC's efforts to consolidate its mass foundation, to strengthen and develop the united front in the new century and to build a socialist harmonious society.

Second, the guideline of "full respect, extensive contact, enhancing solidarity, sincere help and active guidance" was explicitly established. It was stressed that the creativity and enterprising spirit of the newly emerged classes should be respected and their intelligence and wisdom should be made full use of. These classes should be encouraged to love the country, honor their profession, be sincere and reliable, abide by the law and make contributions to the country, so that they will become qualified members participating in the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Third, it was proposed that the united front work related to the new classes should become the new focus in future. The work should be based on various social organizations and communities by means of the Internet and organized activities, so that the members of the new social classes will rally closely around the Communist Party of China and around the Chinese Government.

Four major new features on the united front work

As China is entering the new stage of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-around way, the united front has also entered a new stage, demonstrating new features: unprecedented representation, great inclusiveness, remarkable diversity and extensive penetration in all aspects of social life.

By unprecedented representation, it means that with the profound changes in China's economic and social structure and the implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy, the united front begins to expand, developing into the broadest patriotic united front that is composed of all people participating in socialist modernization, all patriots who support socialism and all patriots who stand for the reunification of the motherland.

Great inclusiveness means that the great revitalization of the Chinese nation requires the spirit of seeking common ground and shelving differences. All the Chinese from different parties, ethnic groups, classes, groups and of different beliefs and under different social systems should be united together and the national coherence be strengthened.

Remarkable diversity means, while the shared fundamental interests of members of different social classes are expanding, they begin to embrace different concepts and philosophy, values, ways of behavior and also interests, with increasing independence and freedom of choice.

By extensive penetration in all aspects of social life, it means the work of the united front has already spread from the political realm to economic, cultural and social realms, from big cities to small and medium-sized cities, and from public sectors to non-public sectors. More and more departments and organizations are involved in the work of the united front.

"The summary of these features shows the CPC's in-depth understanding of the united front work in the new era and new century, which will help us to keep up with the development trend of the front in a right way," said the interviewed official from the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee.

Definition of the development goal for the united front in the new era for the first time

According to this official, conforming to the new circumstance and tasks, the development goal for the united front work in the new century has been put forward for the first time: to strengthen the construction of the united front in the new era in an all-around way, to promote the united front work in the new century, to consolidate the solidarity between the Communist Party of China and democratic parties and people without party affiliation, to enhance the relationship among various ethnic groups in China, to make religions more adaptable to the socialist society, to promote the coordinated relationship among different classes and to strengthen the contact between people on the mainland and compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and overseas Chinese, so as to build up a continuously progressive united front of strong cohesive force.

(China.org.cn)