Special Report: 17th CPC National Congress

    BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- The 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), slated to open here on Monday, will deliberate and adopt an amendment to the CPC Constitution to embody the "scientific outlook on development" and other major strategic thoughts advanced since 2002, a spokesman for the congress said on Sunday.

    The amendment had been approved at the Seventh Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee that closed on Friday.

    Incorporation of the new achievements in the Party's theoretical innovation and progress in practice into the Constitution will help the whole Party achieve better results in studying and complying with the Constitution and implementing the Party's theories, lines, principles and policies, spokesman Li Dongsheng told a press conference on Sunday.

    The Party congress would also include in the CPC Constitution the major theoretical viewpoints, strategic thoughts and work arrangements defined in the political report to be submitted to the once-every-five-years political event, "so that the amended Constitution fully reflects the latest achievements in adapting Marxism to Chinese conditions and meets the new requirements arising from the new situation and tasks for improving the Party's work and strengthening Party building," Li said.

    The amendment must also follow the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents, Li said, citing the guiding principles formulated by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

    When asked by the CPC Central Committee for their opinions about the subjects of political report to the 17th CPC National Congress last December, many Chinese localities and departments proposed amending the Constitution in light of the Party's theoretical innovation and progress in practice to meet the need of improving the Party's work and strengthening Party building, he added.

    "The Constitution was conscientiously amended by pooling the wisdom of the whole Party to produce a version to be submitted to the 17th Congress for deliberation and approval," Li told reporters.

    The latest amendment to the Party Constitution was made at the 16th CPC National Congress in November 2002, when the important thought of Three Represents was highly appraised and written into the Constitution.

    At the 15th CPC National Congress in 1997, Deng Xiaoping Theory was added into the Party Constitution as the guiding theory for the CPC alongside Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought. And the theory on building socialism with Chinese characteristics was enshrined in the Party Constitution at the 14th CPC National Congress in 1992.