CWU Holds Its 3rd Party Congress

China Women's University (CWU) held its third Party congress recently. Liu Qinghua, Secretary-General of the congress, presided over the conference and made a keynote speech.

Zhang Xiaolan, vice-president and member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF); Xu Lihua, minister of ACWF's Organization Department; Yang Shuwen, deputy secretary of the ACWF Party Committee; and Dou Haichao, a researcher from Beijing Municipal Commission of Education, participated in the event, together with all Party members and probationary members of CWU.

Under the theme "Building Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, Fully Carrying out the CPC's Educational Policies and Comprehensively Strengthening Party Self-Discipline", the meeting aimed to thoroughly study the important speeches made by Secretary-General Xi Jinping and apply Xi's instructions on women's issues and ideological work in colleges.

According to the requirements of ACWF's reform programs, CWU will advance the rule of law, deepen educational reforms, comprehensively improve the quality of talent cultivation and strengthen the university's capacity in international cooperation and cultural innovation.

The university will continue to run school with socialist orientation and strive to build itself into a first-class women's university with Chinese characteristics, Liu Qinghua said.

Liu Liqun addressed the meeting on behalf of CWU. She highlighted the historical and practical significance of the Party congress and pointed out that the event is a necessity of the change in leadership, as well as a major step in implementing the new round of educational reforms and promoting the process of Party building. It meets the leaders' requirement of developing CWU into a top women's university, Liu added.

She hoped all participants could live up to the university's founding principles and the government's expectations, take the chance to carry forward CWU's good traditions and push forward its development with a brand-new appearance.

On behalf of the ACWF, Zhang fully affirmed CWU's achievements in scientific research, intra-Party supervision and social services, and hoped that CWU could seize opportunities to satisfy the economy development requirements, give full play to the advantage of women's university and increase its core competitive power.

Touching on cultivating new female talents and serving the cause of women and children, Zhang put forward four demands to strengthen the CPC leadership, to integrate ideological work into the entire education process, to improve the leaders' managerial level and teachers' teaching level and to cultivate highly qualified female talents.

Under the market economy circumstances, Zhang expressed ACWF's hope that CWU could voluntarily participate in the nation's development reforms, serve the development of Chinese women, diplomacy and economy, and contribute to promoting gender equality and building a moderately prosperous society. 

Li Mingshun, chairperson of CWU Council, gave a lecture on "Staying True to the Party Mission and CWU Dream, Building CWU into a Top-Rank Women's University". 

Li summarized the Party Committee's accomplishments and experiences in Party building and the university's development since the last Party congress. CWU has launched a variety of activities in the past five years, including deepening educational reforms, promoting postgraduates education, initiating scientific research projects and developing assessment and construction work.

During the speech, Li asked all participants to firmly and unswervingly adhere to correct management orientation, stick to the historical mission of a women's university and keep talent cultivation and student-oriented innovation as the central task. 

In addition, Li conveyed the latest ideas put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in his keynote speeches made at a two-day meeting on ideological and political work in China's universities and colleges.

Li said that Xi's remarks are guidelines on ideological and political work for the university under the current circumstances and urged relevant departments to act accordingly.

Li also called on the functional departments to realize the significance of improving ideological and political work and uphold the Party's leadership over students.

Utilizing the Chinese government's policies on higher education, Li hoped that the school leaders could strengthen intra-Party supervision and develop CWU into a top-level women's university.

Moreover, the nation's guiding system will become increasingly important in seizing the opportunities that lie ahead and navigating a more open, integrated and international school.

CWU will continue to firmly implement China's basic policy of gender equality, stick to its running aim to promote women's all-round development and strive to resolve the realistic dilemmas of women's progress, Li said.

The university will also deepen personnel distribution reform, creating a high-level teaching team; deepen internal governance structure, accelerating the modernization course; and deepen the reform of the scientific research system, improving independent innovation and social service capacity.

As higher education is a key factor in a country's development potential, it is urgent for CWU to improve the quality of its talent cultivation, Li added.

China's unique history, culture and national conditions have dictated the development path for higher education and colleges featuring socialism with Chinese characteristics, according to Chinese President Xi. As the first and only state-owned women's university, Li said that CWU is committed to helping students lay an ideological foundation and improving their political awareness and humanistic qualities.

As higher education shoulders the major responsibility of cultivating successors for the socialist cause, CWU will adhere to the correct political orientation, Li said, adding that only by cultivating first-class talent can the university become a world-class institution.

During the meeting, attendees also listened to and examined the report of the Party Committee and the Discipline Inspection Commission, and the report on the management and use of Party membership dues.

(Source: China Women's University/Translated and edited by Gender Study Network)