On January 13, 2003, the Institute of the Far East of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted the 28th scientific conference devoted to the problems of China's domestic political development. The study of political and ideological processes in China at the present stage is one of the main areas of research of the Institute of Foreign Policy of the Russian Academy of Sciences. China's achievements in the field of economy and the growing prestige of the country in the international arena increase the attention of specialists and the public to the problems of modern China and, in particular, to scientific conferences of this profile.

Their holding has its own history and traditions. The organizer of these conferences, Doctor of Law, Professor L. M. Gudoshnikov, is a specialist in the study of political and legal processes in China. Every year for several decades, sinologists - political scientists, lawyers, historians, philosophers, economists, and philologists-have come together to discuss the current situation in China, familiarize each other with the results of their research, present a general picture of the country's internal political state, and even, based on a joint comprehensive analysis, look into the future.

The special feature of the 28th conference is the breadth of the topic and the desire for comprehensive coverage of the political process of recent years.

17 reports presented at the conference are grouped in the following areas: parties and public organizations, the problem of political system reform and legal development of the PRC, new legislation in various fields, the concept of sustainable development and the situation in the agricultural and industrial sectors of the economy, religious policy.

The main content of all the reports focused on the problem of adapting party and state policies to the new realities of the XXI century and, accordingly, to the process of globalization. All the reports were more or less related to the decisions of the 16th CPC Congress held on November 8-14, 2002, which is quite justified, because the congress summed up the results of the 13-year period of development of the party and the country in the context of the formation of a socialist market economy, proclaimed the beginning of the third stage of modernization, and proposed new approaches to updating the entire system of economy and politics and culture.

Describing the decisions of the congress in the field of party building, development of the political system, and formation of ideology, speakers P. M. Aslanov, A. V. Vinogradov, N. L. Mamaeva, and D. A. Smirnov emphasized that a new mentality is being formed in Chinese society, an essential feature of which is the departure from old stereotypes and the desire for innovations in all areas of life.

Innovations of the congress in the field of economic development were reflected in the report of Z. A. Muromtseva. She paid special attention to the characteristics of the new type of industrialization strategy, in particular the course on the development and introduction of high technologies, priority development of science and technology, the information industry and information technologies. In her opinion, grandiose plans for innovations in the field of economic development seem quite realistic, since they are based on the already established economic system, which has its own inertia of development.

When discussing the strategic objectives of the third stage of modernization, which, according to the decisions of the congress, is expected to be completed mainly by the middle of the XXI century, A. A. Kozlov focused on the concept of sustainable development, which is designed to play an important role in the implementation of plans for the country's recovery. Noting that there are certain successes in each of the three main areas of the sustainable development strategy-in the economy, social sphere and ecology - the speaker drew attention to ecology as the most difficult factor in building a fully developed and stable society.

The 16th CPC National Congress was viewed against the real backdrop of achievements and negative phenomena that need to be addressed. Among the latter, some negative phenomena in the agricultural sector were mentioned, which were repeatedly stated by the Party and state leaders of the People's Republic of China themselves. The facts of arbitrariness of local officials in rural areas, especially in the field of taxation and tax collection, were discussed in the report of Yu. M. Galenovich.

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An important topic of discussion at the conference was the ideas of the" three representative offices", which were introduced at the congress in the new version of the CPC charter as a development of the ideas of Marxism - Leninism, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping theory. The essence of the "three representative offices" idea is that the CCP "represents the requirements for the development of the country's advanced productive forces, advanced culture, and the fundamental interests of the masses of the people." The conference participants, analyzing the decisions of the CPC Congress, in particular concerning the development of the party's social base and the right of representatives of the entrepreneurial strata to join it, assessed this as attempts to adapt the party to the new structure of society formed in China during the years of reforms.

Among the reasons that prompted the party leadership to search for innovations in party building, P. M. Aslanov drew attention to the new challenges presented to China by international politics and the economy. The "Three Representative Offices", he said, are aimed at preserving and increasing China's authority in the system of international cooperation in the process of globalization and are designed to promote the integration of the Chinese economy into the world economy. According to the speaker, the congress created prerequisites for the CCP's evolution into the Party of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation.

Describing the ideas of the "three representative offices", the speakers emphasized the fact of continuity of individual theoretical positions. For example, Dmitry Smirnov compared Mao Zedong's theory of new democracy and the idea of"three representative offices".

In the report of A. V. Vinogradov, the ideas of "three representative offices" are considered as an element of the concept of modernization, in the report of V. F. Borodin - as the most important ideological innovation in the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. V. F. Borodin made a comparative analysis of the ideological processes that took place during the reforms in China (after 1978) and in Russia (after 1991 G.), and their impact on the political transformation of both countries. Emphasizing the important role of ideological processes in political development in general, he drew attention to the serious attitude of the Chinese leadership to issues of ideology during the reform period, which contributed to its success. The passivity of the Russian leadership in the field of ideology, according to V. F. Borodich, led to the emergence of a vacuum in the public consciousness and ultimately hindered the progressive development of the political process in Russia.

In general, the assessment of the theoretical contribution of the ideas of the " three representative offices "to party building varied widely: from the characterization of these ideas as a theoretical platform of the" Xiaocang " era to their interpretation as the first attempts to update party theory and practice.

General attention was drawn to the active introduction of " xiaokang "into party political theory and practice, which has its roots in the deep past and is closely related to the teachings of ancient Chinese thinkers and philosophers-Mengzi, Confucius, etc. As you know, Deng Xiaoping made a new understanding of the concept of "xiaocang", bringing its content closer to modern realities. Deng Xiaoping interpreted Xiaocang as a "middle-class society" by identifying and strengthening the "economic" component of the concept of "xiaocang" as a "welfare society". According to the congress, "middle-class society" covers not only material, but also spiritual and political spheres.

The conference participants discussed the concept of "Xiaocang" and gave various assessments of its significance in future development plans. Some considered the introduction of this concept in party documents as a replacement for the established concept of "the initial stage of building socialism with Chinese characteristics" (P. M. Aslanov, D. A. Smirnov). Others interpreted this innovation as nothing more than a specification of the immediate (until 2020) tasks of the initial stage of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, and at the same time as an indicator of the tendency to put social policy and the level of well-being of the population as a whole among the main criteria and basic provisions of the reform policy (N. L. Mamaeva).

What will the new image of the party look like, will the admission of new members from the private sector lead to tangible changes in the leadership of party and state bodies at various levels, and will the new party building help to overcome abuses and corruption in government and administration? These and many other issues were the subject of lively discussions.

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The experience of studying the political processes of the reform period, including the preparation for the 16th CPC National Congress, which was accompanied by sharp internal party disputes, shows that the party is committed to maintaining social and political stability. Because of this, she is not inclined to make radical and unexpected decisions in the party - political sphere, N. L. Mamayeva emphasized. The main directions of political system reform, she noted, were developed gradually by the CPC, starting with the 3rd plenum of the CPC Central Committee of the XI convocation (1978), improving existing political institutions and processes and refusing to copy the model of the Western political system. N. L. Mamayeva paid special attention to the party's intention to "introduce the party's management functions into the regulatory framework", primarily in the sphere of relations with state bodies, as well as to implement changes in the personnel policy and management system.

The conference focused on strengthening the leadership and control role of the CCP in the state and society, highlighting the problem of optimizing the governance system as a whole, and improving and strengthening the ruling party's governance mechanism.

As the speakers noted, the process of strengthening the party's role in the country's governance was reflected in the results of the election of a new composition of the party's supreme bodies. V. I. Antonov, after reviewing the changes in the new composition of the CPC Central Committee and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCPA), came to the conclusion that the CPC Central Committee and CCPA were updated by 55%, thus demonstrating the trend towards rejuvenation of personnel. V. I. Antonov's research provides a basis for concluding that the transition to a new, higher level of combining high party and state posts, i.e., a tendency to increase the level of concentration of power in the hands of the ruling party.

The speakers followed the process of strengthening the party's control activities in various areas of the political sphere and public life. Thus, G. A. Stepanova, in her report "The Chinese Democratic Parties and the National Association of Industrialists and Merchants (UAPT) after the 16th CPC Congress", noted that the congress's decisions to raise the general status of private entrepreneurs in the party and political life caused a quick reaction from the Patriotic United Front organizations. Democratic parties and public organizations took this decision as a signal to strengthen their own role in the political process. According to the speaker, the decisions of the IX Congress of the UAPT (2002) give grounds to assume that this organization can receive the functions of "political consultation and democratic control". This will mean increasing the political status of the UAPT in the system of the "institute for multi - party cooperation and political consultation" - one of the fundamental institutions of the Chinese political system. The speaker drew attention to the simultaneous development of two trends: the strengthening of the ruling party's control over democratic parties and public organizations and the gradual increase in the role of democratic parties in the country's governance.

The activities of non-governmental organizations, also referred to as public associations and commercial organizations, were characterized as a relatively new phenomenon in the development of political system reform. A report on this topic was presented by V. G. Ganshin. As the report highlights, the emergence of organizations of this kind has taken on a powerful character since the early 1990s. There are more than 20 types of non-governmental organizations operating in the People's Republic of China, and their areas of interest vary widely. The speaker gave a detailed description of such well-known organizations as the China Anti-Poverty Foundation, the China Relief Federation, the China Foundation for Childhood and Youth, the Red Cross Society of China, etc. As noted, the functioning of non-governmental organizations is carried out in a normative manner. The author of the report believes that the activities of non-governmental organizations are becoming an important factor in the public and political life of the country, are part of the global process of development of socio-political structures and indicate a trend in the formation of civil society in China.

A. A. Moskalev's report "Jiang Zemin on Strengthening the Management of "religious affairs" in the PRC " is based on the material of Jiang Zemin's statements and instructions on religious policy included in his book "On Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" (Beijing, 2002). In his speech, the speaker emphasized Jiang Zemin's words that party committees of all levels and branches of government should be able to-

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government committees and departments that manage "religious affairs" are required to ensure that "religion is actively brought into line with socialist society", and that party state bodies "should never weaken" their control over the activities of religious organizations and their compliance with constitutional norms. A. A. Moskalev also noted another side of Jiang's statements Mr. Zemin also spoke about the relationship between the party, state and religion, which implies that the activities of regulatory bodies must also be carried out within a strict constitutional framework.

A significant place at the conference was occupied by the issues of strengthening the rule of law and order in the PRC - a topic that has been monitored and analyzed by the Institute of Internal Affairs of the Russian Academy of Sciences for several decades. Processes in this area of politics are a factor of stability in the development of the political system of the People's Republic of China, one of the main directions of its reform since the 1990s. Some issues of party and state policy in this area were presented in the reports of L. M. Gudoshnikov, T. M. Yemelyanova, L. A. Volkova and R. A. Shepenko.

L. M. Gudoshnikov touched upon the issue of the system of training senior judicial officers, which is fundamental for the political development of the People's Republic of China during the period of reforms. He considered this problem against the background of major changes in the country's legal system, which are characterized by " a constant increase in the layer of legislative and other political norms that contribute to the comprehensive progress of the country, especially its economy." Recalling that the legal education system was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, the speaker concludes that the Chinese Center for the Training of Senior-level Judicial Personnel, established in 1988, is forming "a permanent system of retraining and advanced training of senior-level judicial personnel, provided for by relevant regulations for all civil servants". Such a system, according to L. M. Gudoshnikov, contributes to the implementation of the task set out in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and in the decisions of party congresses of building a rule of law state in China.

A thorough analysis of the new legislative initiatives of the Chinese government in relation to trade unions was presented in the report of T. M. Yemelyanova. Comparing the old legislation with the new law on trade unions adopted in 2001, the speaker demonstrated the authorities ' desire to "keep up with the times" and reflect the demands of today. The new law provided for the development of the trade union movement in enterprises of various forms of ownership, increased the role of trade unions in protecting the rights of employees, and strengthened the legal guarantees of trade union management to the management corps of enterprises.

L. M. Volkova's report on the problem of legislative regulation of land relations in the Chinese countryside aroused great interest at the conference. Showing a deep knowledge of the subject, she traced the legislative regulation of this fundamental industry for China since the creation of the PRC. It focused on the Law on Land Contracts adopted on August 29, 2002, which is to be implemented on March 1, 2003. As the speaker convincingly showed, the sphere of land relations has always been and remains in the field of view of legislators. According to L. M. Volkova, the law on land contracts is aimed at improving and achieving greater compliance with the realities of the land contract system that has existed for decades - the main form of land relations in the PRC.

The problem of adapting the agricultural economy of the PRC to the processes of globalization took the main place in the report of I. N. Korkunov. He stressed that there are no easy solutions to the process of integrating agriculture into the world economy under the WTO terms, especially since the growth rate of the agricultural sector has slowed down in recent years. As the speaker emphasized, the benefits that China will be granted in the WTO as a developing country will not remove the risks in the development of agriculture. According to I. N. Korkunov, the new approaches to the development of the agricultural sector outlined at the XVI Congress outlined only general directions, the development of which will require great efforts. The policy of the Chinese leadership on the protection of land resources at the turn of the XXI century is the topic of the report by E. I. Kranina.

Thus, the state of the agricultural sector received a fairly complete coverage at the conference, which indicates the important role of agriculture in the country's economy and in shaping the domestic political situation at the present stage.

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The conference was also presented with a report by R. A. Shepenko, the subject of which was the tax legislation of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

In conclusion, we will express some thoughts about the current domestic political trends, which are summed up by the reports and speeches delivered at the conference. The presented reports indicate a further development of the trend towards building a legislative framework for the functioning of political system institutions, including the intention to institutionalize the activities of the ruling party, especially in personnel policy and in the field of relations between the CPC and state administration bodies.

At the same time, there is a tendency to strengthen party influence and party control in government structures and public organizations, which is mainly determined by the party charter, decrees and resolutions of the CPC Central Committee. At the same time, the process of "political participation" of democratic parties and non - governmental organizations in the country's governance is gradually intensifying, in parallel with which the decisions of the XVI Congress open the doors to governing the country for representatives of new social strata-within the ruling party.

The conference demonstrated the deep interest of Russian Sinologists in the problems of modern China, which are studied comprehensively, thoroughly and taking into account the experience of the Soviet and post-Soviet periods of Russia's economic and political development.

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