Jiang Xiaoqin, a member of China's highest advisory body, was
ecstatic to see one of her proposals put forward last March got the
attention of top government and Communist Party leaders and from
the Ministry of Finance.
"I raised a proposal during the last session, calling on the
government to enhance the management of foreign debts as well as to
avoid debt risks," Jiang explained Wednesday when attending
the ongoing Second Session of the 10th National Committee of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in
Beijing.
To Jiang's joy, her proposal was soon listed as an "important
proposal" by the CPPCC National Committee and she received written
comments from the Central Communist Party leadership.
After three months' study, the Ministry of Finance wrote back,
saying the ministry has adopted initial solutions to the problem,
and it would further improve regulations and management systems to
prevent debt risks, said Jiang.
Jiang's story is just like those that many CPPCC members have
experienced.
In a report on proposals, Li Meng, vice-chairman of the CPPCC
National Committee, said that members have put 3,819 proposals on
the table in the past year, most of which have been transferred to
appropriate government departments for handling.
"Some 98.8 percent of the proposals were handled up to February
20," he said.
In recent years, CPPCC members have increasingly focused their
attention and studies on important government policies and issues
of major social concerns and their suggestions have received
positive feedback from government departments.
For CPPCC member Qiu Wenbao, this year is the seventh time he
has attended the annual meeting of China's top advisory body.
Qiu, from Northeast China's Liaoning Province, brought five
proposals, mainly about the revitalization of the old Northeast
China industrial base and ecological protection in the region.
"In Northeast China, the State-owned enterprises (SOEs) take up
a predominant percentage of the economy. The reforms introduced to
the sector have resulted in a large number of laid-off workers,"
said Qiu.
As a scientific research fellow, Qiu was also concerned with the
clean production at factories and was going to propose several
projects to address the issue.
"Many citizens in my city have entrusted me with the
responsibilities to reflect their everyday problems," he said.
His proposal on tackling the problem of a local coal mine
pollution during the last session has already been put on the
government's agenda.
"It makes me more confident about my present proposals," Qiu
said.
Yang Zhifu, also a CPPCC member and professor with China
Agricultural University, has drafted a proposal on food safety.
"I am trying to look at the issue from the angle of agricultural
resources," he said.
Yang proposes raising the quality of farmland, protecting water
resources, and developing water-efficient agriculture.
"In the long run, water shortage will definitely hinder the
development of Chinese agriculture," Yang warned.
He believed that improving the per unit area yield through
applying modern technologies would be of vital importance to
Chinese food safety.
Jiang, the woman CPPCC member, told China Daily she
would raise at least two proposals this year.
"One is about measures to revitalize Northeast China's old
industrial bases," she said. "The other sounds interesting. I
proposed popularizing knowledge on the so-called 'commerce
quotient' (just like the intelligence quotient) among pupils and
middle school students in China."
(China Daily March 4, 2004)
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