President Hu of China Holds Fast to One-party Rule in Major Speech – Joseph Kahn

From International Herald Tribune:

President Hu Jintao of China said attempts to modernize the country’s political system must not jeopardize one-party rule, setting a conservative tone ahead of an important Communist Party conclave in the fall.

Hu, who is also Communist Party chief, used a major address to the party, government and military elite in Beijing on Monday to promote a gradualist vision of political and economic change, according to accounts of his remarks published Tuesday. He embraced greater “political participation” by ordinary people but ruled out steps toward Western-style democracy.

“The reform of our nation’s political system must maintain a correct political direction, must unrelentingly keep pace with economic and social development, and must endeavor to adjust to the active political participation of our nation’s people,” Hu said. [Full Text]