The Seventh Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee of the CPC concluded yesterday with a communiqué being issued. It also made the decision to expel Bo Xilai, former secretary of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee and a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Liu Zhijun, former Party chief of the Ministry of Railways, from the Party. The session shows the unity and political certainty of the Party. The upcoming 18th National Congress of the CPC is bound to be successful at this crucial period of time.

This week will witness political vitality and diversity across the Pacific. The most well-known electoral system in the West, that of the US, will go through its quadrennial elections for president on Tuesday. The election did not touch upon any concrete social problems. It's more like a routine with some verbal sparring between candidates.

China is totally different. As it develops rapidly, every year is a critical moment. Rapid development will bring more problems, and China still has to face the issues brought by its huge population. It would be a utopian ideal to rely on one simple system to realize China's development.

The confusion in current society is largely due to our desire for change and improvement. For example, we want the government to be more transparent, society to be fairer, and the environmental costs of our development to be fewer. Western society does not have so urgent demands, while developing countries dare to have such high expectations.

Chinese, from top to bottom, are serious about the reforms and China's new breakthroughs. Disagreements concerning these issues result in social tensions. How should China solve its various problems? Why have there been so many disagreements? These questions seem to block the country's development.

China does not have the cultural ground and political conditions to use Western-style elections to deepen social discrepancy first and then strive to achieve social balance and unity later. It would be highly risky to promote such a political transformation in a country with 1.3 billion people. As China's economic development and social diversity advance, maintaining social unity is the major task of China's mainstream politics. If these efforts loosen, a minor problem could pose a heavy threat to national development.

The unity of the Party is the certainty of China's politics. The more certain China's situation is, the more diversity can exist at various social levels, and the public's confidence toward reforms can be more consolidated.

A number of unexpected incidents have taken place in the run-up to the Congress. As we move closer to the Congress, more doubts will be eliminated and expectations toward the future will grow. The country will become more mature.

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