Posted on 07/02/2005 12:13:23 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party turned 84 on Friday, trumpeting an increase in young new members and calling itself the world's largest political party in terms of membership.
The party, which has monopolized politics in the world's most populous nation since 1949, added 2.4 million new members to its ranks last year, bringing its total numbers up to 69.6 million, the online edition of Xinhua news agency said.
"The political party with the most members in the world, the Chinese Communist Party, welcomes its 84th birthday on July 1," Xinhua said.
Higher education students were one source of growth for the party in 2004, with 195,000 joining, Xinhua said.
"Entering the party has become a mainstream value among today's university students, and institutions of education are becoming a new 'red cradle' for the Communist Party," Sang Yucheng, a professor at the prestigious Fudan University, was quoted as saying.
After more than two decades of market-oriented reforms, communism is not the calling it used to be in China and there are few true believers in China. But party membership is still seen as key to promotion in China's civil service and military, analysts say.
"Our party must take on new vigor, become a stronger power and better unite and lead the people of the country to fulfil the great goal of building a well-off society and establishing a harmonious socialist society," the People's Daily, a party mouthpiece, said in a commentary.
"Harmonious society" is the latest party policy slogan and a sign that president and party chief Hu Jintao and other top leaders are turning their focus to the hundreds of millions left behind by the tide of rising prosperity in China.
Chinese soldiers take an oath in front of a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) flag in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province, June 29, 2005. The soldiers vow to be loyal to the country and its people during the ceremony, which is part of activities to celebrate the upcoming 84th anniversary of the founding of the CCP. CHINA OUT REUTERS/China Newsphoto
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Oh my, I can picture hundreds of well known democrats in this country donning party hats and blowing out candles on a cake over this one!
Whoo Hoo, party on Bill and Hill and Maxine et al!
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