Comrades,

As entrusted by the Central Committee of the Party, I will now make the report on the revision of the Party Constitution.

The 11th National Congress of the Party presided over by our wise leader Chairman Hua Kuo-feng is convened in circumstances in which our great leader and teacher Chairman Mao Tsetung has passed away and our Party has won the great victory of smashing the anti-Party "gang of four," Wang Hung-wen, Chang Chun-chiao, Chiang Ching and Yao Wen-yuan. It will go down in the history of our Party as a congress of tremendous significance and far-reaching influence. In his political report to the congress, Chairman Hua, holding high the great banner of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought, has penetratingly elucidated the great theory of continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat put forward by Chairman Mao, comprehensively summed up the basic experience in the 11th struggle between the two lines in the Party, profoundly analysed the domestic and the international situation and explicitly set forth our Party's fighting tasks for some time to come. His political report will certainly inspire the whole Party, the whole army and our people of all nationalities to fulfil Chairman Mao's behests and continue to advance triumphantly along Chairman Mao's proletarian revolutionary line.

Comrade Hua Kuo-feng was chosen by Chairman Mao himself as his successor. In January 1976, upon the proposal of Chairman Mao and its adoption by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, Comrade Hua Kuo-feng took charge of the day-to-day work of the Central Committee and became Acting Premier of the State Council. In April of the same year, again upon Chairman Mao's proposal and its adoption by the Political Bureau, he was made First Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee and Premier of the State Council, and was thus charged with the heavy responsibility of leading the Party and the state. The institution of the first vice-chairman of the Party Central Committee had no precedent in the history of our Party. It was a decision of major strategic importance made by Chairman Mao to counter the conspiratorial activities of the "gang of four" to usurp Party and state power, a decision bearing vitally on the future and destiny of our Party and our country. Chairman Mao wrote in his own hand for Comrade Hua Kuo-feng, "With you in charge, I'm at ease"; this showed his boundless trust in him. Comrade Hua Kuo-feng has consistently held high the great banner of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought and steadfastly followed Chairman Mao's proletarian revolutionary line. He has had long experience in leading the work at the local level and also has experience in leading the work at the national level; he is in close touch with the masses, prudent and steady, wise and resolute, and good at destroying the old and establishing the new; he possesses the ability required to give all-round leadership to political, economic, military and cultural work. When the destiny of our Party and our revolution was at stake at the peak of the conspiracy of the "gang of four" to usurp supreme power in the Party and state, Comrade Hua Kuo-feng, carrying out Chairman Mao's behest with a proletarian revolutionary's boldness and vision, took decisive action, led the whole Party in smashing the "gang of four" at one blow, spared our Party and our country a major split and retrogression and thus saved the revolution and the Party. It was at this extraordinary moment that the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, in accordance with the arrangement made by Chairman Mao during his lifetime, unanimously adopted the resolution to make Comrade Hua Kuo-feng Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chairman of its Military Commission. This resolution was warmly supported by the whole Party, the whole army and the people of all nationalities and unanimously supported and endorsed by the Third Plenary Session of the Tenth Central Committee. The victory in the 11th struggle between the two lines won by our Party under the leadership of Chairman Hua has a tremendous significance both for China and for the world. Holding high the great banner of Chairman Mao, the Central Committee headed by Chairman Hua has made the strategic decision to grasp the key link of class struggle and bring about great order across the land, led the whole Party, the whole army and the people of all nationalities in deepening the great struggle against the "gang of four" and taken a series of important measures to overcome the difficulties arising from the gang's interference and sabotage; it has thus brought about a new upsurge in our socialist revolution and socialist construction. As has been proved in practice, the line of the Central Committee headed by Chairman Hua is entirely correct politically and organizationally. Chairman Hua is worthy of being called Chairman Mao's good student and successor, the wise leader of our Party and people and the brilliant supreme commander of our army. Chairman Hua can certainly continue to carry forward our proletarian revolutionary cause pioneered by Chairman Mao and lead our Party, our army and the people of all nationalities triumphantly into the 21st century. Hereafter, if within the country there are capitalist-roaders in power plotting to usurp the leadership of the Party and state, we will mobilize the whole nation to practise great democracy and topple them by launching a Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution under the leadership of the Central Committee headed by Chairman Hua. If imperialism or social-imperialism starts an armed aggression against our country, we will mobilize the whole nation to defeat the aggressors by waging a people's war under the command of the Central Committee headed by Chairman Hua. Rallying closely round the Central Committee headed by Chairman Hua, the whole Party, the whole army and the people of all nationalities will definitely be able to continue the revolution and defeat all enemies at home and abroad, overcome all difficulties and make China a great and powerful modern socialist country.

Comrades, the revision of the Party Constitution is a prominent item on the agenda of our congress. Thanks to Chairman Mao's leadership, the line of the Tenth Congress was correct politically and organizationally. The "gang of four" totally opposed the line of the Tenth Congress and sabotaged Party building in their vain attempt to transform our Party in the image of the bourgeoisie. Their reactionary scheme has met with abject failure. The Central Committee holds that, in accordance with Chairman Mao's teachings on Party building and with the fresh experience of the Party's 11th struggle between the two lines, we should make necessary revisions in the Party Constitution adopted by the Tenth Congress. The draft of the revised Constitution of the Communist Party of China now submitted to the congress for discussion was basically approved by the Third Plenary Session of the Tenth Central Committee. In the process of revision, opinions were widely sought within the Party, from the leadership to the rank and file in central departments, localities and army units. Here I shall explain the following points concerning the draft of the revised Party Constitution.