Hu Jintao says no end to one-party rule

Hu Jintao says no end to one-party rule

By Leslie Hook and Jamil Anderlini in Beijing President Hu Jintao on Thursday stressed that China would not abandon one-party rule, as he opened the Communist party’s 18th Congress which will hand power to a new generation of leaders. Speaking to several thousand current and retired Communist party officials in the Great Hall of the People, Mr Hu, who along with Premier Wen Jiabao has steered China for the past decade, also unveiled economic targets, saying the government would strive to double rural and urban incomes by the end of 2020. The speech was Mr Hu’s last major summary of his tenure – a period that has seen rapid economic growth but almost no progress on political reform. In language that appeared to dash hopes of big changes to the political system, Mr Hu said China needed to adhere to the “socialist path”. “We must not take the old path that is closed and rigid, nor must we take the evil road of changing flags and banners,” Mr Hu said. http://link.ft.com/r/UXDMSS/Q3FEGX/S3NLI4/SPX0LP/874SLE/MQ/h?a1=2012&a2=11&a3=8