May 1 Slogans remembered as a seminal moment in Chinese history

Chinese political leaders have been commemorating a landmark event that preceded China's party system 70 years ago.

Monday marks the 70th anniversary of the May 1 Slogans, a call made by the Communist Party of China Central Committee on April 30, 1948-as the country was in the midst of internal war-for noncommunist parties and people without party affiliation to convene a political consultative conference and found a democratic coalition government.

A meeting was held on Saturday in Beijing to mark the historic occasion, with an address by Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Leaders of the noncommunist parties and senior figures without party affiliation recently visited revolutionary sites in Hebei province to commemorate the May 1 Slogans.

The call made by the CPC Central Committee was an important event in the history of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation system, said Zhu Jidong, research fellow with the Academy of Marxism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Seven decades ago, the May 1 Slogans received an ardent, positive response from leaders of noncommunist parties through public statements, phone calls and meetings with CPC leaders, Zhu said.

"It indicated that noncommunist parties and people without party affiliation began to openly and willingly follow the CPC's leadership and embrace new democracy and socialism," Zhu said.

In September 1949, the first plenary meeting of the CPPCC was held in Beijing, marking the establishment of the CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation system.

At a joint panel discussion with political advisers in March, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, called the system "a new type of party system growing from China's soil" and "a great contribution to the political civilization of humanity".

Under the system, the CPC and noncommunist parties share fundamental interests and work together effectively, Zhu said, stressing that noncommunist parties are not an opposition group but consultants, aides and co-workers.

China's party system unites all political parties and people without party affiliation toward a common goal, effectively preventing both the flaws of the absence of oversight in one-party rule and power rotation and nasty competition among multiple political parties, he said.

It pools ideas and suggestions through institutional, procedural and standardized arrangements, and develops a scientific and democratic decision-making mechanism, avoiding another weakness of the old-fashioned party system in which decision-making and governance, confined by interests of different political parties, classes, regions and groups, tear society apart, he said.

The 70-year history of China's party system has demonstrated that it fits China's reality and traditional culture, he said.

In his speech on Saturday, Wang Yang said it is necessary to unwaveringly uphold Party leadership and uphold Xi's core status, as well as uphold the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee. He called on noncommunist parties to enhance their capabilities to perform their duties.

Zhu, the researcher, said: "Both the CPC and noncommunist parties should not forget the original aspiration that drove leaders of older generations to forge this system."