(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-17 19:23

China Zhi Gong Dang (CZGD), one of China's eight political parties, opened the 13th national congress on Monday.

Xi Jinping, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met the congress delegates.

For a long time, the CZGD has mobilized its members, returned overseas Chinese and overseas Chinese to dedicate themselves to China's revolution, construction and reform, Xi, also a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee said, speaking on behalf of the CPC Central Committee.

The CZGD has played an important role in national independence, people's liberation, economic development, social progress and promoting of reunification of China, he said.

In line with the essence of 17th CPC National Congress, the CPC would unswervingly develop socialist democratic politics and consolidate the extensive patriotic united front and improve multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC, he said.

The delegates will hear and deliberate a work report of its 12th Central Committee, adopt the revised party constitution and elect its 13th Central Committee.

Luo Haocai, chairman of 12th CZGD Central Committee made a work report to the congress. Luo summed up the work of the CZGD in the past five years and said the CZGD should make its contribution to building a comparatively well-off society in an all-round way.

The CZGD was founded in October 1925 in the US city of San Francisco, under the sponsorship of overseas Chinese societies. In May 1947, the party held its third congress in Hong Kong, and reorganized itself into a new democratic party.

The CZGD has more than 28,000 members. They are mainly from the middle and upper social strata of returned overseas Chinese and their relatives.