Xi stresses building Beautiful China, improving supervision mechanism for natural monopoly networks

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged efforts to comprehensively promote the building of a Beautiful China and improve the supervision mechanism for natural monopoly networks.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while chairing the third meeting of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform.

The meeting reviewed and adopted a set of guidelines. They include promoting building a Beautiful China in all respects, improving the budget system of state capital operations, improving the supervision mechanism for natural monopoly networks, strengthening supervision over professionals participating in public decision-making, and enhancing region-specific management and control of the ecological environment.

Xi, director of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, said that building a Beautiful China is an important task of building a modern socialist country in all respects. He urged efforts to basically accomplish the goal of building a Beautiful China by 2035.

Xi also called for strengthening supervision over professionals participating in public decision-making and fostering a vibrant, clean, and positive environment for specialists to participate in public decision-making.

The country, while strengthening top-level design and optimizing related rules, should tailor region-specific regulatory measures to safeguard ecological functions and improve the environment, Xi noted.

Li Qiang, Wang Huning, and Cai Qi, who are members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and also deputy directors of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, attended the meeting.

In correspondence to the new requirements for economic and social development, it is imperative to put more effort into addressing ecological and environmental issues, building an ecological civilization, and maximizing the role of pioneers and exemplars, according to the meeting.

The meeting stressed efforts to encourage more investment from state capital in key industries and sectors that have a bearing on the lifeline of the national economy and national security, as well as sectors of public services, emergency response capacities, and public welfare that concern national development and people's well-being.

It called for strengthening budget constraints and making full use of the role of the people's congresses in oversight.

Due to the naturally monopolistic nature of industries like electricity, oil and gas, and railways in terms of their networks, supervision should be carried out on the scopes of both monopolistic and competitive businesses in natural monopoly networks to prevent the use of monopolistic advantages in upstream and downstream competitive areas, said the meeting.

(Cover: An aerial photo shows the view of autumn scenery in Zhangbei County, Zhangjiakou City, north China's Hebei Province, September 7, 2023. /Xinhua)