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President Xi Jinping and other leaders attend the opening meeting of the fourth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. [Photo/Xinhua]

CPPCC National Committee urged to better perform duties for new journey

National political advisers are called on to better perform their duties in offering suggestions and building consensus as the country celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and embarks on a new journey of development, the top political adviser said on Thursday.

The 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference started its fourth session on Thursday afternoon in Beijing with about 2,100 members attending, raising the curtain on the two sessions, China's biggest annual political event.

President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the meeting with other leaders.

While presenting a work report to the session, Wang Yang, chairman of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC, noted the efforts of the political advisers in COVID-19 response and economic and social development, with 699 related proposals among the total of 5,974 submitted.

This year, the CPPCC will strengthen theoretical and political guidance with a focus on celebrating the centenary of the CPC and ensure more effective consultations and suggestions with a focus on facilitating the implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), Wang said.

Key tasks this year include following the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, grounding efforts in the new stage of development and creating a new development pattern, he said.

Consultative meetings will be held to discuss how to build a more secure China, implement the rural vitalization strategy, deal with an aging society, accelerate the launch of major national science and technology programs, develop a high-quality education system and modernize industrial and supply chains.

Political advisers are encouraged to offer suggestions on State affairs such as on the quality and safety of agricultural products, employment in areas with large ethnic minority populations, ecological conservation and the national public health protection network, the report said.

More than 10 lecture programs by national political advisers on major tasks will be held this year to expand channels for consensus and pool wisdom and strength among society, according to the report.

Wang also called for giving full play to the CPPCC's role as a specialized consultative body and improving its institutional efficiency.

"As an integral part of China's governance system, the CPPCC has served as a unique platform and an important institution for the CPC as it has led our people in developing socialist democracy and a Chinese approach to governance," Wang said.

China has entered a new stage of development, putting new and higher demands on the CPPCC, he said.

"As members of a specialized consultative body, becoming experts at consultation should naturally be among the most pressing tasks for CPPCC members," he said.

"We need to enhance our capacity to conduct consultation with non-CPC representatives, relevant departments and with people from different sectors so that we can serve as bridges for conveying demands, pooling wisdom and promoting consensus," he said.

Han Fangming, deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, said it is the fourth time he has attended a session. "Wang's report took only 40 minutes, the most concise in the past four years. However, it covered all aspects, and the response was very good," he said.

"This year I'm most concerned about the 14th Five-Year Plan and how the country can better integrate with the world and achieve better development after recovery from the pandemic," he said. Han added that political advisers should adapt to new ways of performing their duty under the current situation as the pandemic has changed many things.

Liu Hongyu, a national political adviser from the legal sector, said she participated last year in many study activities for CPPCC members, which helped improve her ability to make proposals and consult with government departments to achieve consensus.

Mo Jingxi and Cui Jia contributed to this story.

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记者：张怡

播报：Jocelyn Eikenburg

音频编辑：万月英

原文链接：

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202103/05/WS604166c7a31024ad0baacd93_1.html