Chinese President Hu Jintao Sunday called on the whole Party to promote theoretical innovation based on practice and earnestly follow a scientific approach to development.

The vitality of Marxism lies in the combination of the basic principle of Marxism with China's conditions and in the promotion of ideological innovation on the basis of practice, said Hu at a grand gathering to commemorate the birth centenary of late leader Deng Xiaoping.

Hu said the Party must proceed from the consideration of China's reality, center on the practical problems arising from China's reform, opening up and modernization drive, and make continued efforts to enrich and develop Marxism.

Hu also underscored the scientific approach to development that focuses on an all-round, balanced and sustainable development on the basis of "putting people first."

To firmly establish and earnestly carry out the scientific approach, he said, the Party and government must work for coordinated development between urban and rural areas, between various regions, between the economy and society, between mankind and nature, and between domestic development and opening to the outside world.

While focusing on economic construction, the role of the market must be given full play in resources allocation and macro-economic control must be strengthened and improved to maintain the growth momentum.

"We must boost the sustained, rapid, balanced and healthy economic growth and ensure the fruit of development benefits all people," he said.

Hu, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, called for the development of socialist democracy and the promotion of political reform in an active and steady manner.

Efforts must be made to develop socialist democracy, improve the socialist legal system, build a socialist country under rule of law, and ensure the people exercise the right to democratic election, democratic policy-making, democratic administration and democratic supervision according to law, he said. Hu also urged immediate efforts to correctly handle the relationship between reform, development and stability, as well as contradictions among the people, especially those concerning the people's fundamental interests, so as to maintain social stability and unity.

Source: Xinhua