Highlights: China's top political advisory body starts annual session

China's top political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, opened its annual session in Beijing on Monday.

Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the opening meeting of the second session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, held at the Great Hall of the People.

At the meeting, the agenda for the session was reviewed and approved.

Wang Huning, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, delivered a work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee to the session.

On performing duties in 2023

Over the past year, the CPPCC has strengthened the overall arrangement of field research, streamlined the number of team members, avoided overlapped research, and reduced the burden on the grassroots, said Wang, in a report on the organization's work to the session.

The CPPCC received 5,621 proposals last year. Of the 4,791 proposals filed, 99.9 percent were handled, according to Wang.

Its members participated in 17 inspection groups of the National Committee of the CPPCC a total of 202 times, and participated in 81 thematic research activities over 600 times.

The CPPCC has revised proposal regulations to improve the quality of proposal submission, review, handling, supervision, and evaluation, Wang said, adding that 1,982 CPPCC members participated in proposal submission in 2023.

The political advisory body has also formulated and improved the system and mechanism for members to connect with the public, with a total of 6,806 activities conducted by members of the CPPCC National Committee to connect with different social groups, according to Wang.

Main tasks in 2024

In the next year, the CPPCC must leverage its role as a specialized consultative body, closely aligning with the major decisions of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the strategic needs of the nation, and addressing significant practical issues in development, providing counsel and suggestions. 

The CPPCC should implement its consultation plan for 2024 approved by the CPC Central Committee, strengthen the foundational role of specialized committees and the role of CPPCC members, leverage the advantages of different sectors and conduct thorough investigations and research, Wang said.

It should delve into frontline experiences, understand the desires and demands of the people, identify the difficulties and bottlenecks in policy implementation and enhance the foresight and precision of policy recommendations, he added. 

(With input from Xinhua)