 The flag of the Chinese Communist Party | |
| Date | 8–14 November 2002 (6 days) |
|---|---|
| Location | Great Hall of the People, Beijing, China |
| Participants | 2,114 delegates |
| Outcome | Election of the16th Central Committee and16th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection |
| 16th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 中國共產黨第十六次全國代表大會 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中国共产党第十六次全国代表大会 | ||||||
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| Abbreviated name | |||||||
| Chinese | 十六大 | ||||||
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The16th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held inBeijing between November 8 and 14, 2002. It was preceded by the15th National Congress and was succeeded by the17th National Congress. 2,114 delegates and 40 specially invited delegates represented the party's estimated 66 million members.
The Party National Congress examined and adopted the amendment to theConstitution of the Chinese Communist Party proposed by the15th CCP Central Committee, and decided to come into force as from the date of its adoption. An amendment to the Constitution was approved the Party National Congress, with Jiang Zemin's signature ideology of "Three Represents" written into it. The Congress and elected a 356-member16th CCP Central Committee, as well as a 121-memberCentral Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The Congress marked the nominal transition of power betweenJiang Zemin andHu Jintao, who replaced Jiang as General Secretary, and a newly expandedPolitburo Standing Committee line-up. The institutional transition would be completed in state organs by the1st session of the10th National People's Congress in March 2003. Jiang, however, remained head of theCentral Military Commission, therefore in practice, the power transition was not complete.
The16th CCP Central Committee is composed of 198 full members and 158 alternate members, as well as a 121-member Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Out of the nearly 200 Central Committee that was elected by the Congress, it is possible to judge from the number of votes cast in favour the delegates who lacked support in the party.Huang Ju, who was made Vice-Premier in 2003, had the fewest votes in favour, with more than 300 delegates voting against him. Others in the bottom seven, in order from least popular, wereLi Changchun (CCP propaganda chief),Zhang Gaoli (thenShandong Party Chief),Jia Qinglin (CPPCC Chairman),Xi Jinping (thenZhejiang Party chief), Li Yizhong, andChen Zhili (made State Councilor). Shanghai party chiefChen Liangyu ranked tenth from last, while Beijing party chiefLiu Qi ranked twelfth from last.[1]
Jiang Zemin'sGo Out policy was incorporated into the report of the 16th National Congress.[2] The Report stated that going out was a "major measure taken in a new stage of China's reform and opening movement".[3]: 59 Academic Wendy Leutert writes that the Report marked a change from earlier statements on the Go Out policy by proposing a comprehensive and long-term economic shift towards an international focus.[3]: 59
Construction of asocial credit system was announced during the 16th National Congress.[4]: 71 The central government did not have a specific vision for what a finished system might look like and local governments would be allowed to develop pilot programs that could inform the larger policy approach.[4]: 71
At the Congress, Jiang set a goal of achieving comprehensivexiaokang by 2020.[5]: 66 Hu Jintao later reiterated this goal at the17th Party Congress and the18th Party Congress.[5]: 66
