On September 28, 1994, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 14th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China adopted a 20-point document to guide Party building to adapt to the current situation. The following is an abridged version of the 13,000-word document.

The Communist Party of China is the core force leading and uniting the people of all ethnic backgrounds throughout the country in undertaking the great cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. As a ruling party, it shoulders historic tasks while undergoing the tests of the times and, therefore, must strengthen its own building and constantly improve its performance of leadership, and raise its standards as a ruling party.

It is under the leadership of the Party that China, over the past 16 years, has won great victories in various fields which have aroused global attention. Comrade Deng Xiaoping has made contributions of historic importance to the establishment of the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. Practice has proved that the Chinese Communist Party deserves to be called the staunch core of leadership for the cause of China's socialist modernization and, as the Party in power, has lived up to the trust and expectations of the people.

In light of the constantly changing conditions in the contemporary world and in the course of the great changes brought about by the reform, opening and modernization drive in modern China, it is a great project to build the Party into a political party based on Marxism and armed with the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, which serves the people wholeheartedly, which is fully consolidated ideologically, politically and organizationally, and can withstand the tests of all hazards, always advancing ahead of the times. This undertaking was initiated by the second generation central leading body with Comrade Deng Xiaoping at the core and is being carried forward by the whole Party under the leadership of the third generation central leading body with Comrade Jiang Zemin at the core.

The Party must be capable of recognizing, enhancing and upgrading itself under the new situation of reform and opening up, and conscientiously study and solve the new contradictions and problems that crop up in the course of its self-building.

It is necessary to continue to make the Party's ideological building a top priority, and propel the whole Party to continuously broaden and deepen the study of the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

It is necessary to continue to do well in improving the Party's work style and carry out the anti-corruption struggle in a penetrating and sustained way.

Democratic centralism is a fundamental organizational and leading system of our Party. Democratic centralism is a combination of centralism on the basis of democracy and democracy under the guidance of centralism, and constitutes an application of the Marxist theory of cognition and the mass line in inner-Party political life and organizational building. The democracy in democratic centralism means a full expression of the will and ideas of Party members, giving full play to their enthusiasm and creativeness; the centralism in democratic centralism means the concentration of the whole Party's will and wisdom and its unified action. Implementation of the system is aimed at striving for a lively political situation in which there are both centralism and democracy, both discipline and freedom, both unity of will and personal ease of mind and liveliness.

Historical experience tells us that democratic centralism is a scientific, rational and efficient system. It facilitates the manifestation of the basic interests and will of the masses of the people, and facilitates the correct drafting and implementation of the Party's line, principles and policies, and even if it makes mistakes, it can effectively rectify them; system construction is of a fundamental, overall, stable and long-term nature, and it is necessary to further improve a series of systems concerning democratic centralism, so that it will not change with a change in leaders or with a change in their ideas and their focus of attention; it is necessary to uplift the consciousness of the whole Party, leading cadres in particular, in implementing democratic centralism, to oppose all erroneous tendencies that run counter to or negate the system, and to prevent individual arbitrary acts and extreme democracy.

Our country is currently undergoing extensive and profound social change, and this all the more requires our Party to uphold and improve democratic centralism, and definitely not weaken or discard democratic centralism.

At present, our Party's implementation of democratic centralism is generally good, but there are still many problems. Insufficient democracy and insufficient centralism both exist to different degrees. Some localities and departments have not put sufficient strength into implementing certain decisions of the central authorities, and some orders are not carried out, and even ignored. The democratic and scientific decision-making is not complete in some aspects. In view of this situation, it is now necessary to truly enhance education in strengthening democratic centralism in the whole Party, among leading cadres in particular, to improve various concrete systems for implementing democratic centralism, and improve the various principles guiding inner-Party political life.