Further economic and political reform were promised by President Hu Jintao in a speech made to senior cadres on Tuesday, though he stressed that the Communist Party would ensure change follows the "correct direction." In a statement that appeared contradictory but was seen as emblematic of a Chinese hybrid of democratic and authoritarian rule, Hu said, "We must maintain the party leadership, empower the people and rule the country by law." Speaking to senior politburo members at the central party school in Beijing, Hu expressed a desire to build upon the intra-party democracy that is already being created by increasing the number of party members who can vote to elect local officials. He said that China should develop "for the people and by the people," the Financial Times reported. Hu also championed his policy of "scientific development," a phrase used to refer to the shift away from a growth-at-all-costs model to one that pays greater attention to environmental and social interests. The speech was seen as a bid to set the tone ahead of this fall's Communist Party conference.