¡¡¡¡BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Jiang Zemin was re-elected to the post as chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the People's Republic of China at the First Session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) here Saturday.

¡¡¡¡Jiang was relieved of his official duty as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee he had held for 13 years and bowed out of the CPC Central Committee at the 16th CPC National Congress held in Beijing in November last year. He went on to relinguish willingly his state presidency he had held for 10 years at the current NPC session.

¡¡¡¡As far back as in the run-up to the 16th Party Congress, Jiang Zemin offered to leave his post as general secretary of the Party Central Committee and member of the Party Central Committee as well to make way for younger people to accelerate the pace of generational transition of the high-level leadership of the Party and the state for the sake of long-term development of the cause of the Party and state and for the sake of long-term peace and stability of the Party and state.

¡¡¡¡The offer demonstrated Jiang's foresight for the development of the cause of the Party and the state and his exemplary conduct, nobility of character and broad-mindedness as a Marxist statesman.The Chinese Communist Party and China and the state owe their smooth top leadership transition to his correct leadership. This is widely held as a "hallmark of the sophistication of this world's largest ruling party that has a history of 81 years.

¡¡¡¡But, in view of the complex and changing international situation and the arduous tasks for the building of China's national defense and the army, the first plenum of the 16th CPC Central Committee took the decision to let Jiang stay on as chairman of the CPC's Central Military Commission. Jiang pledged full support for the work of the new collective leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Hu Jintao as the general secretary.

¡¡¡¡"I love my motherland and my people," he often says. "It's my never-ending pursuit to serve the motherland and the people."

¡¡¡¡Born in August 1926 of an intellectual family in Yangzhou, a culturally famous city by the Yangtze River in east China's Jiangsu Province. He received a good family education from his early childhood, laying a solid foundation for his cultural attainment. His uncle, also his foster father, Jiang Shangqing had a major influence on Jiang on his way to a professional revolutionary. Jiang Shangqing, an activist in the War of Resistance against Japan, laid down his life for the motherland during a battle in 1939. Four years later, that is, in 1943, JiangZemin threw himself into the students' movement led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) and joined the CPC in 1946 when studying at the Shanghai Jiaotong University, one of China's leading polytechnic universities, majoring in electrical machinery and engineering. He graduated from the school in 1947.

¡¡¡¡After the founding of New China in 1949, Jiang worked as an associate engineer, a workshop director and a deputy director of a foodstuff factory in Shanghai. In 1955, he was sent to the Stalin Automobile Works in Moscow as an intern and returned the following year to serve as a factory director and a research institute director in Changchun, Shanghai and Wuhan. Later he went to head the foreign affairs bureau of the First Ministry of Machine-Building Industry.

¡¡¡¡In nearly a decade after 1980, Jiang served successively as a vice-chairman of the State Commission for the Administration of Import and Export Affairs and the State Commission for the Administration of Foreign Investment, vice-minister and minister of Electronics Industry, Shanghai Mayor, secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and member of the Political Bureau ofthe CPC Central Committee.

¡¡¡¡With the whole world in view and keen on reform and progress, Jiang made significant contributions to the opening and development of China's special economic zones (SEZs). Toward the end of the 1970s and at the beginning of the 1980s, he led a delegation on a foreign study tour and came out with the thought and plan and took it to himself to direct the opening of special economic zones in China, thus translating Deng Xiaoping's conception into reality.

¡¡¡¡While in Shanghai, Jiang enjoyed a high reputation among local officials and the people alike for his able leadership. After June1989, Jiang became the core of the third generation leadership of the Communist Party of China following Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, serving as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the PRC and chairman of the CMC.

¡¡¡¡During the 13 years as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Jiang Zemin experienced precariously changing situation abroad and momentous progress in reform, opening up and modernization drive at home. In the face of opportunities and challenges, Jiang exhibited staunch political courage and superb art of leadership of a Marxist statesman. The correct leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Jiang at the core enabled China to realize the transition from the planned economy to a socialist market economy, create a new situation and achieve historic successes in the economic, political and cultural development after coping calmly with a series of breaking international events that concerned the sovereignty and security of the state and overcoming all kinds of natural disasters and difficulties and risks cropping up in the political and economic areas.

¡¡¡¡The 13 years are commonly acknowledged as a period that witnessed the biggest leap in the growth of the overall national strength and the biggest benefits to the people, and a period that witnessed protracted social stability and unity and logical administration and harmonious people, and a period that witnessed the significant growth of China's international influence and a big growth of the rallying power of the nation. The achievements are the result of the common efforts of the whole Party and the people of all nationalities throughout the country. In these achievements are embodied the wisdom and painstaking work of the third generation of the central collective leadership, but they are also inseparable from the key roles Jiang Zemin has played.

¡¡¡¡In the decade as President of China, Jiang engaged himself in a lot of diplomatic activities in the name of the head of state. He has left his footprints in many countries and regions across the world. He often appeared in important international meetings and activities. Thanks to the independent foreign policy of peace, China made fruitful achievements in diplomatic affairs and its international status and influence on international affairs have been enhanced and grown steadily.

¡¡¡¡Steadfast to the principles of emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts, keeping pace with the times and respecting the practice of the people, Jiang has put forward a series of important thoughts and theories that have given a big impetus to socialism with Chinese characteristics, thus carrying forward and developing Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory.

¡¡¡¡On the basis of in-depth investigation and study and by pooling the wisdom of the entire Party, Jiang presented the important thought of "Three Represents" in February 2000, namely, the Chinese Communist Party must always represent "the development trend of China's advanced productive forces, the orientation of China's advanced culture and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people". The important thought aroused great repercussion at home and abroad. The important thought of "Three Represents" put forward at the 16th National Party Congress is regarded as developing Marxism-Leninism,Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory in contemporary China;the attainment of the "Three Represents" will provide the "foundation on which to build up the Party, the cornerstone for theParty to exercise political power and the source of strength of the Party". The 16th CPC National Congress established it as a guiding ideology for the Party for a long period of time to come.

¡¡¡¡Since he took up the post as the CMC chairman, Jiang Zemin has had a thorough insight and good command of the major changes in domestic and international situation and the new development trends of changes in the military world and put forward a series of new thoughts, new theses and new measures for solidifying the national defense and the building of the army, thus enriching and developing the military thinking of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping'sconcepts on army building for the new period of development.

¡¡¡¡Jiang stressed that the Chinese army must remain steadfast in following the road of keeping fewer but better troops with Chinese characteristics in compliance with the general requirements of "being qualified politically, competent militarily and having a fine style of work, stringent discipline and adequate logistic support" and by holding fast to the two historical subjects of fighting winning battles and never degenerating.

¡¡¡¡He also stressed the Party's absolute leadership over the army and the necessity of implementing the strategic principle of active defense, building a strong army by relying on science and technology, raising the level of commanding the army according to law and carrying on with reforms in national defense and army building, and exerting greater efforts to make the army more revolutionary, modernized and standardized.

¡¡¡¡Jiang Zemin commands a wide range of knowledge and is solidly grounded culturally. He is deeply read, especially in the latest economic, scientific and technical, political and cultural literature. He has a good command of English, Russian and Romanian,and knows something about German, Japanese and Spanish. He often recites as at his fingertips famous quotes from ancient Chinese philosophers or lines from ancient Chinese poetry. He loves Chinese music and is also fond of symphonies by Mozart, Beethoven and other western masters of music.

¡¡¡¡In his leisure time, Jiang would try his hand at such traditional Chinese musical instruments as Er'hu (two-stringed instrument) and Dizi (bamboo flute) and at such western musical instruments as piano. Masterpieces of arts, both Chinese and foreign, are the common wealth of humanity, he would say.

¡¡¡¡Jiang has a warm, harmonious and happy family. He and his wife Wang Yeping have two sons, one grandson and one granddaughter. Enditem