China Association for Promoting Democracy opens national congress

BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- The China Association for Promoting Democracy (CAPD), one of eight non-Communist political parties on the Chinese mainland, opened its 11th national congress on Saturday.

Yu Zhengsheng, a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met congress delegates and delivered a congratulatory message to the association at the congress' opening session on behalf of the CPC Central Committee.

In his speech, Yu praised the CAPD for its role in multi-party cooperation and its contributions toward the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The ruling CPC will improve socialist consultative democracy and promote its extensive and institutionalized development, Yu said.

He expressed hope that the CAPD's new leaders will encourage its members to conduct research and offer suggestions on educational reform, developing socialist culture and boosting soft power, as many of its members work in the fields of culture, education and publishing.

CAPD chairwoman Yan Junqi delivered a report on the group's work over the past five years.

Yan said the CAPD will study and implement the spirit of the 18th CPC National Congress, improve its capabilities and seriously carry out its duties as a participant party.

She vowed more efforts to consolidate and develop the multi-party cooperation system under the leadership of the CPC and contribute to the building of a moderately prosperous society.

A new party central committee will be elected at the congress.

The CAPD was founded in Shanghai on Dec. 30, 1945. It had registered about 128,000 members by the end of last year.

It is one of eight non-Communist political parties in China that participate in state affairs under the leadership of the CPC. Under the multi-party cooperation system, the CPC and non-communist parties work together and supervise each other.

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