Yu Zhengsheng: CPPCC committed to building consensus

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The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) should strive to "build consensus and promote unity," said Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the 12th CPPCC National Committee.

Yu made the remarks on Saturday while delivering a work report to 2,149 political advisors at the opening meeting of the first session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing.

The CPPCC National Committee is China's top political advisory body.

Xi Jinping (C, front), Li Keqiang (R4, front), Zhang Dejiang (L4, front), Yu Zhengsheng (R3, front), Zhang Gaoli (L3, front), Li Zhanshu (R2, front), Wang Huning (L2, front), Zhao Leji (R1, front), and Han Zheng (L1, front) attend the opening meeting of the first session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 3, 2018. /Xinhua Photo

"We welcome heated but not confrontational discussion, sincere but not perfunctory communication, and penetrating but not extreme criticism, so as to build consensus and promote unity," he said.

Political consultation must be aimed at seeking common ground and producing real outcomes, China's top political adviser noted.

"We will foster the spirit of democracy, put consultative thinking into practice, and create a positive atmosphere in which our members will air their views, dare to speak up, and tell the truth," he added.

Yu said a balance must be made between commonality and diversity, calling on the CPPCC to "seek out commonality while allowing for diversity, and expand common ground for the convergence of interests."

The first session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 3, 2018. /Xinhua Photo

Summarizing the work and experience of the Standing Committee of the 12th CPPCC National Committee over the past five years, Yu said the CPPCC should remain committed to its nature as "an important platform for all Chinese political parties, social organizations, and people from all ethnic groups and all sectors of society to work together and participate in the deliberation of state affairs in a democratic manner."

The CPPCC plays its role "by exerting political influence, not by imposing constraints on political power," he underscored.

Yu stressed that the top political advisory body shall uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Members of the 13th CPPCC National Committee walk towards the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 3, 2018. /Xinhua Photo

Consultative democracy

The Standing Committee of the 12th CPPCC National Committee has made "fresh progress" in developing consultative democracy during its five-year term, according to Yu.

To improve the CPPCC's capabilities in the consultation and deliberation of state affairs, the Standing Committee of the 12th CPPCC National Committee drew up annual consultation plans, increased the frequency of consultation sessions, and pioneered the biweekly consultative forums system.

"These forums, 76 in total, were mainly attended by National Committee members from democratic parties and those with no party affiliation," he said. "During the forums they engaged in in-depth discussion of specific issues of widespread concern to society."

Over the past five years, a total of 1,635 CPPCC members joined field trips, study tours, and consultative meetings, with a cumulative attendance of 28,500, Yu added.

United front

China's top political advisor underscored the CPPCC's role as an "organization of the united front, an important organ of multiparty cooperation and political consultation, and a major form of people's democracy" in his report.

"We invited intellectuals who are not Party members and people from non-public sector and new social groups to join CPPCC activities," he noted.

Commenting on its work over Hong Kong and Macao issues, Yu said the Standing Committee of the 12th CPPCC National Committee fully and faithfully implemented the principle of "One Country, Two Systems," under which the people of Hong Kong govern Hong Kong and the people of Macao govern Macao.

Both Special Administrative Regions enjoy a high degree of autonomy, he emphasized.

The Standing Committee of the 12th CPPCC National Committee also made lots of efforts to promote the peaceful growth of cross-Strait relations on the basis of the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle, Yu said, stressing that the committee "stood steadfast against separatist activities for the independence of Taiwan."

Corrupt members expelled

According to Yu, 38 people, including former senior political advisers Ling Jihua, Su Rong and Sun Huaishan, were expelled from the CPPCC National Committee during the past five years.

Ling, a former vice chairman of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, was sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2016 for taking bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power.

Su, another former vice chairman of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, was also sentenced to life in prison in January 2017 for taking bribes.

Last month, Chinese prosecutors filed indictments against Sun, a former member of the Standing Committee of the 12th CPPCC National Committee who was accused of taking bribes.

Although the CPPCC National Committee has made remarkable achievements since 2013, there is still room for improvement, Yu said.

"Some of our studies and deliberations were superficial and failed to penetrate the heart of the issues," he admitted, emphasizing the need to "further explore the methods and institutions of the democratic oversight, further expand the scale and channels of forging unity and friendships, and further strengthen the role of our (CPPCC National Committee) members."

In regards to its future work, Yu said the CPPCC should focus its advice and efforts on the main issues in securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and embarking on a journey to fully build a modern socialist China.

He called on the top advisory body to pay special attention to poverty alleviation in extremely poor areas, the fight against pollution and the prevention of financial risks in 2018.

Journalists work at the opening meeting of the first session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 3, 2018. /Xinhua Photo

Nearly 30,000 proposals submitted

In a report on proposals, Wan Gang, vice chairman of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, said over the past five years, a total of 29,378 proposals had been submitted by the CPPCC National Committee members, and 99 percent of them had been handled up to February 20 this year.

"Most of the proposals have either been taken up or put into practice gradually," Wan said.

Wan delivered the report after Yu's address.

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