The 15th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held its closing session on September 18 after electing the new CPC Central Committee and the new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Presided over by CPC General Secretary Jiang Zemin, the meeting called on the entire Party to hold high the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory and, under the leadership of the Party Central Committee, unite and lead the people of all China's nationalities, to push forward the great cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics to the 21st century with full confidence.

At the session, the 2,074 delegates present at the session cast their secret ballots and elected the 15th CPC Central Committee composed of 193 members and 151 alternate members. The delegates also elected the new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection comprising 115 members.

The session endorsed a resolution on the report of the 14th CPC Central Committee, approved the report, which had been delivered by Jiang on behalf of the 14th CPC Central Committee, and highly praised the work of the 14th CPC Central Committee.

It passed a resolution on the amendment to the Constitution of the CPC, which took immediate effect.

It also passed a resolution on the work report of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, fully approving the work of the commission.

After the Congress, which opened on September 12, completed its agenda, Jiang delivered a speech to warm applause.

He said the current congress is of historic significance. The congress approved the report of the 14th CPC Central Committee, summed up the experience of the previous five years and prepared for the future from a perspective of historical development at the turn of the century, drew up a cross-century blueprint for China's reform, opening-up and socialist modernization drive and put forward guiding principles and policies on major domestic and international issues.

The report is a crystallization of collective wisdom and serves as the Party's political declaration of program of action for the new century, he added.

The First Plenum of the 15th CPC Central Committee, presided over by Jiang, was held in Beijing on September 19.

At the plenum, Jiang was re-elected general secretary of the CPC, while Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing and Li Lanqing were re-elected or elected members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the new CPC Central Committee.

Meeting the press shortly after the plenum, Jiang called the 15th CPC National Congress "a great success."

He said, "At the turn of the century, facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities, we are full of confidence we will realize the country's magnificent objectives for the next century."

"We believe China will have a better future, and we also wish the world a better future," he added.