China Congress Enshrines Private Property

China Congress Enshrines Private Property

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's parliament amended the constitution on Sunday to protect private property, a landmark move that waters down the core Communist ideology of the world's most populous nation.

But Premier Wen Jiabao, a populist and cautious reformer, has not forgotten the roots of the party, which was once the vanguard of the proletariat but now tries to be everything to everyone.

More than 99 percent of 2,896 delegates to the rubber-stamp National People's Congress approved as expected Wen's work report -- his first since taking office last March -- in which he championed workers and peasants.

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China Congress Enshrines Private Property