The Tenth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top advisory body, convened its
fifth annual session on Saturday, calling for its members'
contribution to social harmony and utmost effort for the
preparation of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of
China (CPC).
"The year of 2007 is of great importance for the causes of our
Party and the whole country as the 17th CPC National Congress is
scheduled to convene in the second half of this year, which is not
only a big event for the Party itself, but also for the political
life of all the people," said Jia Qinglin, chairman of the CPPCC National
Committee, in a keynote report on the work of the advisory body in
the past year and its work scheme in 2007.
Jia urged CPPCC members to "welcome the successful convening of
the CPC National Congress by earnestly performing our duty in
political consultation, democratic supervision and participation in
and discussion of state affairs with a great sense of political
responsibility."
Jia said that CPPCC members should be prepared to learn and
implement the spirit of the CPC congress and make contribution to
accomplishing the goals raised at the congress.
The CPPCC should fully play its role to promote the harmonious
relations between different parties, nationalities, religions,
social classes, and compatriots from both home and overseas, said
Jia.
He said the advisors' proposals on improving social equality,
morality, stability and maintaining harmony between human beings
and the nature over the previous year have contributed to the
country's drive of building a harmonious society.
The CPPCC should strengthen its contact with the compatriots in
Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and those living abroad to maintain the
long-term prosperity in Hong Kong and Macao, to push forward the
peaceful and stable development of the cross-Straits relations and
to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, he
said.
President Hu Jintao, top legislator Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao, and other top CPC
and state leaders Zeng Qinghong, Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun and Luo Gan were seated on the central rostrum when
the session opened in the Great Hall of the People in downtown
Beijing at 3 PM (Beijing time).
Huang Mengfu, CPPCC National Committee vice chairman, reported
to the advisors at the opening meeting on how their proposals and
suggestions had been handled since the advisory body's last session
in March 2006.
The political consultants have raised 5,158 proposals on
economy, science, culture and sports, politics and social security
issues since last March, and over 98 percent have received response
from relative departments or have been handled in line with China's
laws and regulations, according to Huang.
More than 2,000 CPPCC National Committee members will underline
major concerns of the nation during the 12-day meeting.
Three plenary meetings that focus on economy, social and
cultural development, and political construction will be held
during the CPPCC annual session, which is scheduled to conclude on
March 15.
The CPPCC National Committee memebers will also be present
at the annual session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, slated to kick
off on March 5, hearing and discussing the report on the government
work by Premier Wen Jiabao, reports on the work of the Supreme
People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and the
drafts of the property law and the corporate income tax
law.
Founded in 1949, the CPPCC consists of elite members of the
Chinese society who are willing to serve as the think tank for the
government and for the country's legislative and judicial
organs.
As an open forum where the ruling Communist Party, the
non-Communist parties of China and people with no party
affiliations discuss state affairs freely and on an equal footing,
the CPPCC National Committee has been the manifestation of China's
socialist democracy.
(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2007)
