Red turns 86

China's Communist Party turns 86
July 1, 2007

China's ruling Communist Party turned 86 on Sunday vowing to make itself stronger, cleaner and more responsive in order to take on fresh challenges and meet the people's new expectations.

The party, which boasts 73 million members, needs to enhance "self-construction" in the face of "unprecedented opportunities and challenges" facing China's development, said an editorial in the party mouthpiece, the People's Daily.

"We should comprehensively grasp new demands coming up as our country develops and the people have new expectations," said the editorial marking the 86th anniversary of the founding of the party, which has monopolised power since the 1949 revolution.

The editorial unusually was relegated to page two as the party bash took a back seat to celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule.

About 2.6 million people joined the party in 2006, or 160,000 more than the 2005 figure, state television said. One-third of the new members are women and 80 per cent of them aged under 35.

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