Because of incorrect information from Getty Images, an incorrect photograph was published with an Oct. 12 article. The Chinese official identified as President Hu Jintao was actually Wu Bangguo, the parliament chief.
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China's Party Leadership Declares New Priority: 'Harmonious Society'
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Hu's plan calls for significant progress by 2020 in narrowing the wealth gap, increasing employment, improving public service and protecting the environment.
Chinese scholars often worry that the country suffers from an eroding system of beliefs and a lack of common aspirations and values. To help build a new values system, the party's objective "is to try to perfect the socialist democratic legal system," one in which "the rule of law is to be carried out completely, and people's interests and rights are to be respected and guaranteed," the plenary statement said.
Critics said the statement was meaningless.
"Harmonious society means nobody opposes me. No different ideas," said a political analyst in Beijing who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. "If you talk to farmers, you will know what harmonious society means. They're angry. That's why the party needs to crack down. With money, law, jail -- anything in order to reach one society without any conflicts.
"It's propaganda. It's nothing. . . . We Chinese don't believe in these slogans anymore."
But Huang Weiding, deputy editor in chief of the Red Flag Publishing House, insisted that gradual change was occurring and that there was now greater focus on the party system rather than on the power of individual leaders.
"China is such a vast country. There are several million party cadres. How will we unify their thoughts? We need theory," Huang said. "These are not just slogans, they are our goals."
Researchers Jin Ling and Li Jie contributed to this report.
