VITAL FOR CHINA'S FATE

Experts say conforming with the CPC central leadership, safeguarding its authority and ensuring its orders well implemented are a matter of principle which is vital to the Party and the nation's destiny.

The CPC's innovative theories and thoughts have helped to navigate China to success both during the war against Japanese aggression and the era of reform and opening up, according to Shi.

"It's unimaginable to govern the world's biggest political party and a country with a 1.3-billion-strong population without a centralized and unified leadership," Shi said.

Shi noted, however, the call for conformity does not mean a suppression of public opinions. "'The line' is the collective wisdom of the entire Party and Chinese people."

Grassroots wisdom in the new plan for the country's economic and social development in the next five years, which was approved by the national legislature on Wednesday, has been pooled from various sectors through legislators and political advisors at all levels.

With China's diverse level of development and conditions in different regions and industries, the consciousnesses of "the core" and "the line" have been championed to pool strength from various sectors for a single end, said Zhang Zhao'an, economist with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

"A firm core leadership is crucial for laying down a top-level design under the current complex economic situation both at home and abroad," Zhang said.