There was no lack of words of praise in Communist Party of China (CPC) General Secretary Hu Jintao's speech commemorating the Party's 90th birthday.

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The CPC does have plenty to be proud on such an occasion, especially for what Hu described as "having done three big things" achieving national independence and founding the People's Republic, establishing the socialist system, and masterminding reform and opening up.

Things have become so much better particularly over the past more than three decades that few would argue against Hu's conclusion that "socialism with Chinese characteristics" is a fundamental achievement the Party and the people should cherish, sustain and develop. Nor would people feel otherwise when Hu said it rests ultimately on the CPC to manage things well in China.

Not just because the old horse knows the way. The CPC's readiness and aspiration to learn, in addition to Hu's renewed commitment to the course of reform and opening-up, transmits a consoling message to all who are concerned about the Party's and country's next steps.

Yet what truly distinguished Hu's speech rests somewhere else the sense of urgency for refining governance was rare, if not unprecedented.

Enumerating the challenges, or tests, facing the CPC, Hu identified "the danger of slacking off spiritually, the danger of becoming incompetent, the danger of breaking away from the masses, the danger of getting dispirited and corrupt", admonishing that the task of self-regulation is more strenuous for the Party than ever.

The emphasis on relations with the masses was heavy. "Keeping close ties with the masses is our party's biggest political advantage," said Hu. "Breaking away from the masses is the biggest danger to our party." "Only when we put the masses in our mind, will the masses put us in their mind," he warned his comrades. "Only when we take the masses as our dear ones will the masses take us as their dear ones."

His emphasis on fighting corruption was equally strong: "If corruption cannot be punished and addressed efficiently, the Party will lose people's trust and support."

Hu and the CPC's other top leaders have appealed for self-discipline inside the party on numerous previous occasions. But never before has there been such a comprehensive review of the threats to the CPC's governing status, at least not in public and in such high profile. That such challenges were discussed in such candidness bodes well for the CPC and the country and its people. To get rid of the problems and obstacles which Hu put as "inescapable and cannot be skirted around", there is no choice but to face them squarely.

Such adherence to deeper reform might prove to be the best insurance against committing major new blunders. And that defines the nation's journey ahead.

(China Daily 07/02/2011 page5)