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)