China's top political advisor Wang Yang called for efforts to strengthen unity among all Chinese on Friday, as the country's top political advisory body started its annual session in Beijing. 

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks at the opening meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC. 

"Strengthening the great unity among all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation is the historic responsibility of the CPPCC in the new era," Wang said when delivering a work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee to the session. 

"Unity is the root from which the CPPCC blossomed, and the source of energy that has allowed our organization to carry on and thrive," he added.

The CPPCC should strive to "expand common ground and achieve the greatest possible convergence of interests, and promote harmony in relations between political parties, between ethnic groups, between religions, between social strata, and between our compatriots at home and abroad," he stressed. 

To strengthen unity throughout the Chinese nation, the CPPCC needs to "be adept at using the methods of democracy, discussion, criticism and persuasion to properly handle problems among the people," he said, highlighting the role of "honest consultations" in boosting social unity. 

He also called for upholding the leadership of the CPC and described the Party as the "center for the Chinese nation's unity."

Reviewing the work of the CPPCC National Committee and its standing committee during the past year, Wang said a top priority was to deliberate and offer suggestions on tasks outlined in China's development blueprint – the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). 

He noted that the top political advisory body conducted 25 consultation sessions, organized 82 inspections, surveys and research tours, filed 5,039 proposals, and collected and distributed 867 conference speeches during the past year.

It carried out research and deliberation on various issues vital for advancing high-quality development, such as expanding domestic demand, reinforcing China's strategic science and technology capabilities, implementing the Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and systematically planning for new types of infrastructure, he said.

It will continue to promote high-quality development with high-quality recommendations in 2022, he said.

Wang underscored efforts made by the top political advisory body on affairs concerning Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan during the past year.

The CPPCC National Committee and its standing committee encouraged political advisors from Hong Kong "to voice their support for the National People's Congress in improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, promoted the implementation of the principle that Hong Kong should be governed by patriots, and offered suggestions on responding to the [COVID-19] epidemic and fostering patriotism among young people in Hong Kong and Macao," he said.

The top political advisory body also co-hosted the fourth Strait forum on community-level governance as part of the 13th Strait Forum, he added.

"These efforts helped strengthen unity and friendship with our compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and overseas," he said.

The opening of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC marked the start of China's annual Two Sessions. The fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, will open on Saturday. 

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(Cover: The fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 4, 2022. /Xinhua)