Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends a meeting celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Central Institute of Socialism (CIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 14, 2016. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)
BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has urged a key socialist institute to make greater efforts to train officials who are in political parties other than the Communist Party of China (CPC) or have no party affiliation to ensure they have strong socialist beliefs and work closely with the CPC.
Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks in a congratulatory letter released on Friday on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Central Institute of Socialism (CIS).
Founded with the support of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, the CIS is a political academy for people from parties other than the CPC and people without any party affiliation.
Xi hailed the institute's achievements over the past 60 years, fostering key members of political parties outside the CPC and those without political affiliation to work closely with the CPC, as well as to contribute to improving the multi-party cooperation system under the CPC leadership and reinforcing and expanding the patriotic united front.
Xi called for the CIS to strengthen its political training and focus on boosting political consensus and the trainees' confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics while consolidating a common ideological and political foundation.
Over the past 60 years, the CIS has offered training to figures from ethnic and religious circles, new social groups, as well as those from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, Taiwan and overseas groups, top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng said on Friday while addressing a meeting celebrating the anniversary.
The CIS has developed a diversity of disciplines and contributed a large number of high-calibre people outside the CPC but who share the CPC's ideals and work, said Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). He also called for continued efforts to improve CIS performance.
Xi's letter was read out at the meeting by Sun Chunlan, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee United Front Work Department.
Yan Junqi, the CIS president and vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress; and Qi Xuchun, vice chairman of the CPPCC National Committee and executive vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, also gave speeches.
