AP News, July 10th, 2007
The Communist Party of China added 2.6 million members last year, further enhancing its status as the world's biggest political party, state media reported Tuesday.
Xinhua News Agency said the increase took the party's total membership to 72.39 million, a net climb of 1.58 million over 2005 after the death or expulsion of other members for crimes or unpaid dues.
While China has embraced capitalism in its drive to reform its economy, membership in the ruling party is popular as it is still seen as a major way to develop connections, open doors and get ahead, allowing the party to be selective about who it accepts.
"More than 19 million people applied to join the CPC in 2006, an increase of 6.8 percent over 2005, a sign of the attractiveness and cohesiveness of the party," Xinhua said.
It quoted the Organization Department of the party's Central Committee as saying about 30 percent of the members _ or 22.2 million people _ had received higher education, an increase of 1.7 percent over 2005.
Without giving figures, Xinhua said the proportion of female party members and members under the age of 35 both increased in 2006.
"An internal educational campaign in 2005 and 2006 has given the 86-year-old CPC renewed vitality and energy," the organization department was quoted as saying.
The Communist Party was established in July 1921 with about 50 delegates, including Mao Zedong.
The party _ headed by Hu Jintao, who is also the country's president _ will hold its once-every-five-year National Congress in October or November.
The congress is the last before next summer's Beijing Olympics, and comes as the party increasingly invokes Chinese nationalism as a legitimizing force as opposed to socialism.
