Monday, Mar 15, 2004
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BEIJING, MARCH 14. China today amended its Constitution to protect private property rights and formalised a former President's once-unthinkable legacy — inviting entrepreneurs to join the Communist Party. The legislature also added to China's Constitution the first-ever mention of human rights. But the language said nothing about protecting free political expression — a key issue for government critics. The moves came on the 10th and final day of the 2,904-member parliament, the National People's Congress, which held its annual meeting in the Great Hall of the People on Beijing's Tiananmen Square. ``These changes to the Constitution are of great significance to the development of China,'' said the Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao. China's No. 2 leader and legislative chief, Wu Bangguo, said the constitutional change ``lays down the ground rules for our struggle.'' The vote to adopt the slate of constitutional amendments was 2,863 in favour, 10 against and 17 abstaining. ``The high number of yes votes shows that the changes reflect the will of the Chinese people,'' Mr. Wen said. The constitutional protection of private property was the first since the Communists took power in 1949. It was largely symbolic: China already has laws on private property, but with millions of people starting businesses and buying homes and stocks, entrepreneurs have lobbied for constitutional guarantees. Entrepreneurs are a pivotal part of the Communist Party's plans to open China's economy and attract foreign investment — both to its booming eastern seaboard and, as Mr. Wen emphasised at this year's meeting — to the still-impoverished countryside. The awkwardly named ``Three Represents'' theory of inviting entrepreneurs into the Communist Party was the brainchild of the former Chinese President, Jiang Zemin, who retired last year.
AP
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