Full Text of Hu Jintao's speech at CPC anniversary gathering

We should open up, with greater vision, determination and courage, channels for recruiting talented personnel, quickly identify outstanding cadres in all fields and put them to good use. We will continue to give top priority to political integrity in placing cadres, and select and place those who have firm political conviction and outstanding performance and are capable and well received by the people. Cadres should be placed in accordance with the principles that integrity should be fostered in self-improvement, in setting an example for others, and in enhancing competence and that integrity should be matched by competence. We will continue to place cadres based on their performance so that capable people are given opportunities and well placed, honest persons are not disadvantaged, those who seek personal gains by acting in a calculating way and currying favor will gain nothing, and all outstanding cadres can dedicate themselves to the Party and the people.

To continuously train a large number of outstanding young cadres is of fundamental importance for carrying on the cause of the Party and the people from generation to generation. To shoulder heavy responsibilities, young cadres must foster a sound worldview and correct views on power and career, and they should be loyal to the Party's cause, be identified with the people, be committed to whatever they do, and constantly improve themselves. Young cadres need to take the initiative to work in hardship areas and complicated environments and take up challenging positions to temper their moral character and work style and improve their ability. When young cadres come to the fore in large numbers who have honed themselves in tough and complicated environments, endured the test of major struggles, and proved themselves outstanding and promising, they will create a great future for the cause of the Party and the people.

Talent is the most important resource and a strategic resource for a country's development. All the comrades in the Party and the whole society should adhere to the major principle of respect for work, knowledge, talent, and creation, imbue themselves with the view that everyone has potential talent to develop, and do not hesitate to use talents for the cause of the Party and the people. We should provide broad platforms to talented persons of all types to pursue their career and fully tap their development potential, and make sure that everyone contributes their due share to the country, the people, and the nation. It is particularly important to speed up the training of talented young people and to ensure that capable people emerge in great numbers and put their talents to best use and that everyone can bring out their best.

To make Party building more scientific under the new historical conditions, we must follow the principle of putting people first and governing for the people, firmly adhere to the Marxist viewpoint on the people, purposefully implement the mass line of the Party, and maintain close ties between the Party and the people.

The growth of the Party over the past 90 years shows that the fact that the Party comes from the people, takes root among the people and serves the people ensures its invincibility. Putting people first and governing for the people is what the Party is all about. It fully embodies the Party's fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly. It is the ultimate yardstick to guide, assess, and test all governance activities of the Party. All the comrades in the Party must bear in mind that maintaining close ties with the people gives the Party its biggest political asset while alienation from the people poses the greatest risk to the Party after it has gained political power. Therefore, we must always place the people's interests before everything else, and make sure that the aim and outcome of all our work is to realize, uphold and expand the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people. We must exercise power for the people, identify ourselves with them and work for their interests. This will win us the most extensive, reliable, and solid popular support, which will serve the source of strength for our work.