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From March 5 till March 13, 1949, the Central Committee (CC) of the CCP held its second Plenum. 34 full members and 19 alternate members attended the meeting. This plenum was held in Xibaipo in the west of Hebei Province. Here the CCP established its base between 1947-1948.

The main agenda of the meeting was the transition from a rural revolution to an urban revolution. The development of the economy and a stable regime change are also topics during the assembly. In this part, the focus lies on formalizing a consultative conference. In his opening speech, Mao Zedong emphasized that the time is ripe for convening a political consultative conference. He urged that we must treat the majority of non-Party democrats as if they were our own cadres, engaging with them sincerely and openly to address the issues that require consultation and resolution. We should assign them tasks, delegate the necessary responsibilities and authority for their roles, and assist them in performing their duties effectively.
However, he cautioned that, in our desire for unity, we must also carry out serious and appropriate criticism of their errors and shortcomings to achieve our goal of cohesion. It would be misguided to adopt a lenient stance toward their mistakes or to maintain a closed-off or superficial approach to them. In every major and medium-sized city, as well as each strategic region and province, we should cultivate a group of respected non-Party democrats who are capable of collaborating with us.

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The CC approved the plans to hold a political consultative conference and decided to take the slow path to a socialist economy.

“For the benefit of the entire national economy and the present and future interests of the proletariat and the working people, however, it is essential that private capital should not be restricted too much and must be permitted to exist and develop along the track of the economic policies…”

This decision on the transition period can be considered as the foundation of the Common Program. The way this transition period will be implemented is described in a document issued on April 25, 1949.

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