Senior CPC official addresses important role of philosophy, social sciences

Senior Chinese official Liu Yunshan has called for the sectors of country's philosophy and social sciences to enhance the sense of responsibility and sense of duty for the prosperous development of philosophy and social sciences in the coming five years.

Liu, chief of the publicity department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the leading group of National Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Sciences (NOPSS), said Monday at a meeting on the National Social Sciences Fund Programs that the sectors of philosophy and social sciences should fully play a role in knowing the world, inheriting and passing on civilizations, theory innovation, and educating people and serving the society.

Liu, also member of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee, said that since the First Plenum of the 16th Central Committee of the CPC, the party's theory has been developing greatly with such strategic thoughts as the concept of scientific development, people first theory to build a harmonious society, enhancing the ruling ability of CPC, building a new socialist countryside, setting up the "honor and shame" concepts, which have broken some new research areas for philosophy and social sciences.

Liu called for all party departments to better acknowledge the role of philosophy and social sciences and more say in the party's decision-making. He said that philosophy and social sciences researchers should be more innovative and devise a number of in-depth and significant research projects.

Liu said that the party has made higher requirements for the philosophy and social sciences in China's 11th five-year plan, noting that examination and approval of the Philosophy and Social Sciences Fund Programs should be strict, fair and transparent.

More than 300 experts of the leading group of NOPSS attended the meeting. The meeting will select 1,300 projects as the funded programs among more than 15,000 projects applied for the Philosophy and Social Sciences Fund Programs, a 24 percent increase of last year.

Source: Xinhua