Referring to Deng, Zhao said, "With his courage in developing Marxist theory, his realistic approach, his rich experience and his foresight and sagacity, Comrade Deng Xiaoping has made significant contributions to the formulation and development of this line and to decision-making on a series of key issues, as well as to the creation of a new situation in construction, reform and opening to the outside world."

Primary Stage of Socialism

China is now in the primary stage of socialism. It will be at least 100 years from the 1950s, when the socialist transformation of private ownership of the means of production was basically completed, to the time when socialist modernization will have been in the main accomplished. All these years belong to this primary stage, Zhao stressed.

This stage is not the initial phase in a general sense-a phase that every country will go through in the process of building socialism. Rather, it is the specific stage China must go through while building socialism under conditions of backward productive forces and an underdeveloped commodity economy, Zhao explained.

There are two aspects to this thesis, he said. First, Chinese society is already a socialist society, and "we must persevere in socialism and never deviate from it." Second, China's socialist society is still in its primary stage, and "we must proceed from this reality and not jump over this stage."

A correct understanding of the present historical stage of Chinese society is of prime importance for building socialism with Chinese characteristics, and it is the essential basis on which to formulate and implement a correct line and correct policies, he said.

"Under the specific historical conditions of contemporary China, to believe that the Chinese people cannot take the socialist road without going through the stage of fully developed capitalism is a mechanistic view on the question of the development of revolution, which is the major cognitive root of right-deviationist mistakes. On the other hand, to believe that it is possible to jump over the primary stage of socialism in which the productive forces are to be highly developed is a utopian view on this question, which is the major cognitive root of 'left' mistakes."

The basic line of the Party in this stage is as follows: to lead the Chinese people of all nationalities in a united, self-reliant, intensive and pioneering effort to turn China into a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and modern socialist country by making economic development the central task while adhering to the four cardinal principles [1] and persevering in reform and the open policy, Zhao said.

Development Strategy

Ever since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Party Central Committee in 1978, he said, China has been carrying out a strategic plan for economic development. This plan involves three steps. The first step is to double the GNP of 1980 and solve the problem of food and clothing for the Chinese people. This task has been largely fulfilled. The second step is to double it again by the end of this century, thus enabling the Chinese people to lead a fairly comfortable life. The third step is to reach the per capita GNP level of medium-developed countries by the middle of the next century. This will mean that modernization will have been basically achieved and that the Chinese people enjoy a relatively affluent life. Then, on this basis, China will continue to advance.

Zhao stressed that the most important task at present is to make a success of the second step. He saw the solution of the problem of poor economic results as the key to success.