我国是工人阶级领导的、以工农联盟为基础的人民民主专政的社会主义国家，国家一切权力属于人民。我国社会主义民主是维护人民根本利益的最广泛、最真实、最管用的民主。发展社会主义民主政治就是要体现人民意志、保障人民权益、激发人民创造活力，用制度体系保证人民当家作主。
      China is a socialist country of people's democratic dictatorship under the leadership of the working class based on an alliance of workers and farmers; it is a country where all power of the state belongs to the people. China's socialist democracy is the broadest, most genuine, and most effective democracy to safeguard the fundamental interests of the people. The very purpose of developing socialist democracy is to give full expression to the will of the people, protect their rights and interests, spark their creativity, and provide systemic and institutional guarantees to ensure the people run the country.

      中国特色社会主义政治发展道路，是近代以来中国人民长期奋斗历史逻辑、理论逻辑、实践逻辑的必然结果，是坚持党的本质属性、践行党的根本宗旨的必然要求。世界上没有完全相同的政治制度模式，政治制度不能脱离特定社会政治条件和历史文化传统来抽象评判，不能定于一尊，不能生搬硬套外国政治制度模式。要长期坚持、不断发展我国社会主义民主政治，积极稳妥推进政治体制改革，推进社会主义民主政治制度化、规范化、法治化、程序化，保证人民依法通过各种途径和形式管理国家事务，管理经济文化事业，管理社会事务，巩固和发展生动活泼、安定团结的政治局面。
      The path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics is the logical outcome of the evolution of history, theory, and practice as the Chinese people have long engaged in struggles since the advent of modern times. It is a requisite for maintaining the very nature of the Party and fulfilling its fundamental purpose. No two political systems are entirely the same, and a political system cannot be judged in abstraction without regard for its social and political context, its history, and its cultural traditions. No one political system should be regarded as the only choice; and we should not just mechanically copy the political systems of other countries. We must uphold long term and steadily strengthen China's socialist democracy, make active and prudent efforts to advance the reform of the political system, and improve the institutions, standards, and procedures of socialist democracy. We should ensure that people participate, in accordance with law and in various ways and forms, in the management of state, economic, cultural, and social affairs, and consolidate and enhance political stability, unity, and vitality.

      （一）坚持党的领导、人民当家作主、依法治国有机统一。党的领导是人民当家作主和依法治国的根本保证，人民当家作主是社会主义民主政治的本质特征，依法治国是党领导人民治理国家的基本方式，三者统一于我国社会主义民主政治伟大实践。在我国政治生活中，党是居于领导地位的，加强党的集中统一领导，支持人大、政府、政协和法院、检察院依法依章程履行职能、开展工作、发挥作用，这两个方面是统一的。要改进党的领导方式和执政方式，保证党领导人民有效治理国家；扩大人民有序政治参与，保证人民依法实行民主选举、民主协商、民主决策、民主管理、民主监督；维护国家法制统一、尊严、权威，加强人权法治保障，保证人民依法享有广泛权利和自由。巩固基层政权，完善基层民主制度，保障人民知情权、参与权、表达权、监督权。健全依法决策机制，构建决策科学、执行坚决、监督有力的权力运行机制。各级领导干部要增强民主意识，发扬民主作风，接受人民监督，当好人民公仆。
      1. Upholding the unity of Party leadership, the people running the country, and law-based governance
Party leadership is the fundamental guarantee for ensuring that the people run the country and governance in China is law-based; that the people run the country is an essential feature of socialist democracy; and law-based governance is the basic way for the Party to lead the people in governing the country. These three elements are integral components of socialist democracy. In China's political life, our Party exercises leadership. Strengthening the centralized, unified leadership of the Party on the one hand and, on the other, supporting the people's congresses, governments, committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), courts, and procuratorates in performing their functions and playing their roles in accordance with the law and their charters, form a unified pair. We will improve the way the Party exercises leadership and governance to ensure that it leads the people in effectively governing the country. We will expand the people's orderly political participation to see that in accordance with law they engage in democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and oversight. We should uphold the unity, sanctity, and authority of China's legal system, and strengthen legal protection for human rights to ensure that the people enjoy extensive rights and freedoms as prescribed by law. We should both consolidate government and improve the institutions of democracy at the primary level to ensure the people’s rights to be informed, to participate, to be heard, and to oversee. We will improve mechanisms for law-based decision-making, and put in place mechanisms for the exercise of power that ensure sound decision-making, resolute execution, and effective oversight. Officials at all levels must deepen their understanding of democracy, be democratic in their conduct, willingly accept public oversight, and perform as they should in their role as public servants.

      （二）加强人民当家作主制度保障。人民代表大会制度是坚持党的领导、人民当家作主、依法治国有机统一的根本政治制度安排，必须长期坚持、不断完善。要支持和保证人民通过人民代表大会行使国家权力。发挥人大及其常委会在立法工作中的主导作用，健全人大组织制度和工作制度，支持和保证人大依法行使立法权、监督权、决定权、任免权，更好发挥人大代表作用，使各级人大及其常委会成为全面担负起宪法法律赋予的各项职责的工作机关，成为同人民群众保持密切联系的代表机关。完善人大专门委员会设置，优化人大常委会和专门委员会组成人员结构。
      2. Strengthening institutional guarantees to ensure the people run the country
      We must uphold long term and steadily improve the system of people's congresses, a political system fundamental to the Party's leadership, the people's running of the country, and law-based governance. We should support and ensure the people’s exercise of state power through people’s congresses. We should see to it that people's congresses and their standing committees play the leading role in lawmaking, and improve the organizational and working systems of people's congresses to support and ensure the exercise of their statutory powers of enacting laws, conducting oversight, making decisions, and appointing and removing officials. We should give better play to the role of deputies to people’s congresses, and enable people’s congresses at all levels and their standing committees to fully perform their functions as stipulated in the Constitution and the law, and to truly represent the people and maintain close ties with them. We should improve the setup of special committees of people's congresses and the composition of their standing committees and special committees.

      （三）发挥社会主义协商民主重要作用。有事好商量，众人的事情由众人商量，是人民民主的真谛。协商民主是实现党的领导的重要方式，是我国社会主义民主政治的特有形式和独特优势。要推动协商民主广泛、多层、制度化发展，统筹推进政党协商、人大协商、政府协商、政协协商、人民团体协商、基层协商以及社会组织协商。加强协商民主制度建设，形成完整的制度程序和参与实践，保证人民在日常政治生活中有广泛持续深入参与的权利。
      3. Giving play to the important role of socialist consultative democracy
      The essence of the people’s democracy is that the people get to discuss their own affairs. Consultative democracy is an important way of effecting Party leadership and a model and strength unique to China's socialist democracy. We will advance extensive, multilevel, and institutionalized development of consultative democracy, and adopt a coordinated approach to promoting consultations carried out by political parties, people's congresses, government departments, CPPCC committees, people's organizations, communities, and social organizations. We will strengthen the institutions of consultative democracy and develop complete procedures and practices to enable the people's broad, continuous, and intensive participation in day-to-day political activities.

      人民政协是具有中国特色的制度安排，是社会主义协商民主的重要渠道和专门协商机构。人民政协工作要聚焦党和国家中心任务，围绕团结和民主两大主题，把协商民主贯穿政治协商、民主监督、参政议政全过程，完善协商议政内容和形式，着力增进共识、促进团结。加强人民政协民主监督，重点监督党和国家重大方针政策和重要决策部署的贯彻落实。增强人民政协界别的代表性，加强委员队伍建设。
      The CPPCC, as a distinctively Chinese political institution, is a major channel for socialist consultative democracy, and its committees are specialist consultative bodies. The CPPCC committees should focus on the Party and the country's key tasks. With the themes of unity and democracy in mind, they should exercise consultative democracy throughout the whole process of political consultation, democratic oversight, and participation in the deliberation and administration of state affairs; and they should improve the content and forms of consultation and deliberation to build consensus and promote unity. They should strengthen democratic oversight, focusing on the implementation of the major principles, policies, decisions, and plans of the Party and the state. They should better represent the different social sectors and strengthen the competence of their members.

      （四）深化依法治国实践。全面依法治国是国家治理的一场深刻革命，必须坚持厉行法治，推进科学立法、严格执法、公正司法、全民守法。成立中央全面依法治国领导小组，加强对法治中国建设的统一领导。加强宪法实施和监督，推进合宪性审查工作，维护宪法权威。推进科学立法、民主立法、依法立法，以良法促进发展、保障善治。建设法治政府，推进依法行政，严格规范公正文明执法。深化司法体制综合配套改革，全面落实司法责任制，努力让人民群众在每一个司法案件中感受到公平正义。加大全民普法力度，建设社会主义法治文化，树立宪法法律至上、法律面前人人平等的法治理念。各级党组织和全体党员要带头尊法学法守法用法，任何组织和个人都不得有超越宪法法律的特权，绝不允许以言代法、以权压法、逐利违法、徇私枉法。
      4. Advancing law-based governance
      Advancing law-based governance in all fields is a profound revolution in China's governance. We must promote the rule of law and work to ensure sound lawmaking, strict law enforcement, impartial administration of justice, and the observance of law by everyone. A central leading group for advancing law-based governance in all areas will be set up to exercise unified leadership over the initiative to build rule of law in China. We will strengthen oversight to ensure compliance with the Constitution, advance constitutionality review, and safeguard the authority of the Constitution. We will carry out lawmaking in a well-conceived and democratic way and in accordance with law, so that good laws are made to promote development and ensure good governance. We will build a rule of law government, promote law-based government administration, and see that law is enforced in a strict, procedure-based, impartial, and non-abusive way. We will carry out comprehensive and integrated reform of the judicial system and enforce judicial accountability in all respects, so that the people can see in every judicial case that justice is served. We will redouble efforts to raise public awareness of the law, develop a socialist culture of rule of law, and increase public awareness of the principle underlying rule of law that the Constitution and the law are above everything else and that everyone is equal before the law. Every Party organization and every Party member must take the lead in respecting, learning about, observing, and applying the law. No organization or individual has the power to overstep the Constitution or the law; and no one in a position of power is allowed in any way to override the law with his own orders, place his authority above the law, violate the law for personal gain, or abuse the law.

      （五）深化机构和行政体制改革。统筹考虑各类机构设置，科学配置党政部门及内设机构权力、明确职责。统筹使用各类编制资源，形成科学合理的管理体制，完善国家机构组织法。转变政府职能，深化简政放权，创新监管方式，增强政府公信力和执行力，建设人民满意的服务型政府。赋予省级及以下政府更多自主权。在省市县对职能相近的党政机关探索合并设立或合署办公。深化事业单位改革，强化公益属性，推进政事分开、事企分开、管办分离。
      5. Deepening reform of Party and government institutions and the system of government administration
      We will adopt a comprehensive approach to the setup of Party and government institutions, and ensure that powers are designated properly and functions and duties are defined clearly both for the institutions themselves and their internal bodies. We will use various types of staffing resources in a coordinated way, develop a sound system of administration, and improve the organic law for state institutions. The government needs to transform its functions, further streamline administration and delegate powers, develop new ways of regulation and supervision, and strengthen its credibility and administrative capacity, building itself into a service-oriented government able to satisfy the needs of the people. More decision making power should be given to governments at and below the provincial level, and ways should be explored to merge Party and government bodies with similar functions at the provincial, prefectural, and county levels or for them to work together as one office while keeping separate identities. We will deepen the reform of public institutions to see that they focus on serving public interests, relieve them of government functions, keep them away from business activities, and let them run their own day-to-day operations while maintaining supervision over them.

      （六）巩固和发展爱国统一战线。统一战线是党的事业取得胜利的重要法宝，必须长期坚持。要高举爱国主义、社会主义旗帜，牢牢把握大团结大联合的主题，坚持一致性和多样性统一，找到最大公约数，画出最大同心圆。坚持长期共存、互相监督、肝胆相照、荣辱与共，支持民主党派按照中国特色社会主义参政党要求更好履行职能。深化民族团结进步教育，铸牢中华民族共同体意识，加强各民族交往交流交融，促进各民族像石榴籽一样紧紧抱在一起，共同团结奋斗、共同繁荣发展。全面贯彻党的宗教工作基本方针，坚持我国宗教的中国化方向，积极引导宗教与社会主义社会相适应。加强党外知识分子工作，做好新的社会阶层人士工作，发挥他们在中国特色社会主义事业中的重要作用。构建亲清新型政商关系，促进非公有制经济健康发展和非公有制经济人士健康成长。广泛团结联系海外侨胞和归侨侨眷，共同致力于中华民族伟大复兴。
      6. Consolidating and developing the patriotic united front
      The united front is an important way to ensure the success of the Party's cause, and we must maintain commitment to it long term. We must uphold the banner of patriotism and socialism, strive to achieve great unity and solidarity, balance commonality and diversity, and expand common ground and the convergence of interests. In handling its relationships with other Chinese political parties, the Communist Party of China is guided by the principles of long-term coexistence, mutual oversight, sincerity, and sharing the rough times and the smooth, and it supports these parties in performing their duties in accordance with the requirements of the Chinese socialist system for their participation in governance. We will heighten public awareness of ethnic unity and progress, and create a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. We will encourage more exchanges and interactions among different ethnic groups, helping them remain closely united like the seeds of a pomegranate that stick together, and work jointly for common prosperity and development. We will fully implement the Party's basic policy on religious affairs, uphold the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation and provide active guidance to religions so that they can adapt themselves to socialist society. We will encourage intellectuals who are not Party members and people belonging to new social groups to play the important roles they have in building socialism with Chinese characteristics. We should form a new type of cordial and clean relationship between government and business, promote healthy growth of the non-public sector of the economy, and encourage those working in this sector to achieve success. We will maintain extensive contacts with overseas Chinese nationals, returned Chinese and their relatives and unite them so that they can join our endeavors to revitalize the Chinese nation.

      同志们！中国特色社会主义政治制度是中国共产党和中国人民的伟大创造。我们完全有信心、有能力把我国社会主义民主政治的优势和特点充分发挥出来，为人类政治文明进步作出充满中国智慧的贡献！
Comrades,
      The political system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is a great creation of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people. We have every confidence that we can give full play to the strengths and distinctive features of China's socialist democracy, and make China's contribution to the political advancement of mankind.