An editorial to be published in People's Daily Saturday hails and congratulates the successful conclusion of the annual session of China's top advisory body.

"This was a democratic, truth-seeking, united and morale-boosting meeting. It will contribute greatly to our work this year and push forward the great cause of building a well-off society in an all-round way," says the editorial of the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top advisory body, held its annual session here from March 3 to 12.

Members of the CPPCC National Committee discussed the work of the CPPCC, adopted amendments to the organization's charter, heard and discussed the report on the work of the government and other major reports made at the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, and discussed amendments to China's constitution.

The editorial says that achieving the lofty goals of building a well-off society in an all-round way calls for pooling the wisdom of the entire Chinese nation and uniting available forces as much as possible.

It says that as a patriotic united front organization, the CPPCC could play an important role in the cause by organizing political consultations among different sectors, doing research and reporting the findings to decision-making bodies and conveying to the broad masses the lines and policies of the CPC and the state and uniting forces of various areas.

The amended charter defines the CPPCC as a patriotic united front organization of Chinese people, an important organ of the multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC, and an important route for achieving socialist democracy in China's political life.

It also defines the main functions of the CPPCC as political consultation, democratic supervision, and participating in and discussing government and political affairs.

(Xinhua News Agency March 13, 2004)