Discurso de Hu, enviado por Mario Arvelo

Compartir con ustedes uno de los escasos correos del Sr. Mario Arvelo, quien ocupa casi todo su tiempo en erradicar el hambre del mundo. Sus comentarios fueron: "tremendo discurso de hu". Lo dejé en sus peculiares minúsculas, por que son el sello característico con el que nos escribe deliciosos correos. La verdad es que no tiene tiempo.

Hu admits Communist shortcomings
Jonathan Watts in Beijing
Monday October 15, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

China's president and the Communist party general secretary, Hu Jintao, promised a more open and sustainable model of development today in a speech that will set the policy of the nation for the next five years.

At the opening of the 17th Communist party congress, Mr Hu acknowledged that the ruling party had failed to live up to the expectations of the people and proposed a series of modest reforms aimed at improving the skills, morals and accountability of cadres.

The shift from quantity to quality in both party management and economic development underpins Mr Hu's theory of "scientific development", which will be written into the charter of a party that has moved from revolution to plutocracy.

More than 2,000 communist officials applauded in short bursts as Mr Hu made his speech in front of a giant hammer and sickle icon on a stage decorated with red flags and rows of central committee members in dark suits and military uniforms.

Far from the semi-religious reverence of Mao Zedong during the Cultural Revolution, Mr Hu is more of a technocrat who must compromise with factions in making appointments and setting policy.

But the global significance of a party leader's words has arguably never been greater than now because China is an increasingly important player in world trade and diplomacy.

During his first five years in power, Mr Hu said growth had averaged more than 10% a year, making China the fourth biggest economy in the world. He said the number of rural poor had fallen from 250 million to 20 million, the military had been modernised and the first Chinese astronauts had ventured into space.

Economic development, he said, would remain a top priority and there would be no return to the isolation of previous times. "To stop or reverse reform and opening up would only lead to a blind alley," he warned.

But, along with the list of achievements, he cited the need to address the problems of environmental degradation, political corruption and income inequality between the rich cities on the eastern seaboard and villages in the poor western interior.

"While recognising our achievements, we must be well aware that they still fall short of the expectations of the people," he said in a candid moment. "The governance capability of the party falls somewhat short of the need to deal with the new situation and tasks."

Among the problems he identified were weak organisations, excessive bureaucracy and extravagance, waste and corruption by a "small number of party cadres". Last year, 8,310 of members were punished for accepting bribes, but they were just the ones who got caught. Corruption is endemic in a system with no independent courts, no free media and no genuine electoral accountability.

Mr Hu used his 135-minute speech to amplify his theory of a "scientific outlook on development", which is his contribution to the communist party's ideological bible.
"Our economic growth is realised at an excessively high cost of resources and the environment," he noted.

As well as more sustainable growth, he called for a better quality of government. To improve the party, he called for higher levels of training for cadres and more internal accountability. This so-called "inner-party democracy" would give the 73 million Communist party members in China more opportunities to vote on policies and leaders, as well as adopting a tenure system for delegates to party congresses.

But there were no major political reforms that would open the way to genuine universal, multi-party democracy. "We must uphold the party's role as the core of leadership in directing the overall situation and coordinating the efforts of all quarters," he said.

At the end of the congress, the party will unveil a new line-up of the standing committee of the politburo - the most powerful political body in this country of 1.3 billion people. Mr Hu will promote several supporters, but - given the lingering influence of his predecessor Jiang Zemin and the need to balance factional interests - he is also expected to have to make compromises that would have been undreamed of by his more powerful predecessors.