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A press conference for the first session of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee was held on Friday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Spokesperson Wang Guoqing briefed media on agenda of the session and took questions from reporters during the press conference.

Wang reviewed the performance of the CPPCC over the past five years, highlighting the works in four points. 

The top political advisory body has done well in “improving the consultation and deliberation, strengthening the democratic oversight, increasing the unity and enhancing capacity building,” the spokesperson said.

Despite the complexity at home and abroad last year, the CPPCC members believe China’s economy achieved steady progress and performed better than expected both in quantity and quality, Wang said.

As for 2018, Wang said the members projected that sustained and steady progress would remain the dominating trend of China's economy.

The spokesman also outlined five major areas to work, including vigorously developing the real economy, preventing the risks, delivering tangible results from the reform, continuing to deepen supply-side structural reform and improving the mechanism for people’s well being.

The spokesperson refuted claims by some western media outlets that China is using “sharp power” to impose political influence in western countries.

“It’s not the first time when the phrase is invented to smear China and it won't be the last time,” Wang Guoqing said, adding that some people in the west are still using cold war mindset even in the 21st century.

“We are not only working to present our image, but to help the international community to get a full picture of China in a timely and truthful manner,” Wang said, “In the past, we can’t make ourselves heard, but now we are capable of making our voice heard far and wide. It’s natural that we want to showcase our own image.”

He also quoted  American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, "Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they cannot communicate; they cannot communicate because they are separated,” saying people should work to build a community of shared future for mankind instead of smearing each other with confrontation mindset.