After 55 years in power, China's ruling Communist Party has summarized a six-point experience of governance as it stresses the need to further enhance its governance capability.

"Over the past half a century and more, the Party has made painstaking efforts to seek answers to two major questions: what is socialism and how to build socialism, and what kind of party the CPC should be and how to build such a party," says a Party document adopted at the recent Fourth Plenum of the 16th CPC Central Committee.

The 36-page CPC Central Committee Decision on the Enhancement of the Party's Governance Capability, published here Sunday, says that the Party has drawn experience from its past 55 years of governance mainly in six aspects.

"First, we must make sure the Party's guiding ideology shall always progress with the times, and always use constantly-developing Marxism to guide our new practice," it says.

The Party must adhere to Marxism and Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of "Three Represents" as its guiding ideology, while keeping on exploring the new horizon for the development of Marxist theories in its new practice, it explains.

"Secondly, we must continuously promote the self-improvement of socialism to add vigor and vitality to socialism," the document says.

"Only socialism can save China, and only with socialism with Chinese characteristics can we develop China."

Thirdly, the document says, the CPC must always regard development as its top priority in governing the country, as well as the key to the resolution of all problems in China.

Fourthly the Party must stick to the principle of "seeking benefits for the public and governing for the people," and always maintain its flesh-and-blood links with the general public.

"We shall resolutely combat corruption and ... make sure that the fruits of reform and development can be shared by the general public," it notes.

Fifthly, the Party must always exercise its governing power in a scientific, democratic and law-abiding manner, and constantly improve its leading skills and ways of governance, the document says.

"We shall promote people's democracy by promoting inner-Party democracy," it says. "And while leading the people in making laws, the Party should also play an exemplary role in observing the laws and always safeguard the enforcement of the laws."

Finally, the document says, the Party must continuously strengthen its self-building with a reforming spirit, and keep on improving its creativity, inner unity and fighting capacity.

The six-point experience should also be taken as the major guiding principle for the Party in further enhancing its governance capability in future practice, it says.