China marks 90 years of communist rule - and looks to the future

CHINESE President Hu Jintao celebrated the Communist Party on its 90th anniversary yesterday for its ability to adapt and said it must use that skill to fight corruption and ease social conflict if it is to stay in power.

The nationally televised speech capped a patriotic campaign of films, TV programmes and nostalgic sing-alongs aimed at solidifying the notion that the communist government has propelled China to greatness.

Mr Hu said reforms of recent decades that have made China affluent and powerful have brought new challenges, making the public more demanding and more prone to protest. But he gave no indication of any moves toward loosening the party's firm grip on government.

"We have every reason to be proud of what the party and the people have achieved, but we have no reason to be complacent," Mr Hu told the more than 6,000 party select gathered in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Mr Hu glossed over the radical campaigns and policies that led to tens of millions of deaths in the first decades of communist rule. But he said the party endured because it learned from its mistakes.

"In some historical periods, we once made mistakes and even suffered severe setbacks, the root cause of which was that the guiding thought then was divorced from China's reality. Our party managed to correct the mistakes by the strength of itself and the people, rose up amid the setbacks and continued to go forward victoriously," Mr Hu said.

While the speech broke little new ground on policy it acknowledged the party needs to improve governance to keep public support.

In Hong Kong yesterday, tens of thousands of people marched, blowing whistles and banging drums and metal cups, in protest over high property prices and the rich-poor divide. The protest is an annual affair marking the former British colony's return in 1997 to China.

Mr Hu likened the effort to root out corruption as matter of "the party's life and death".

"The party is soberly aware of the gravity and danger of corruption that have emerged under the conditions of the party being long in power," he said. "If not effectively curbed, corruption will cost the party the trust and support of the people. The whole party must remain vigilant against corruption."