Delegates gather in Beijing for key Party Congress

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Over 2,200 delegates are gathering in Beijing to attend the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress, which starts on Wednesday.

Delegates began arriving in the Chinese capital on Sunday to attend the Congress which is held every five years and maps out China's future development.

The 18th CPC Central Committee report, a CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection work report and an amendment to the Party Constitution will be submitted for deliberation at the Congress.

Delegates of Hunan Province to the 19th CPC National Congress arrive in Beijing, capital of China, October 16, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

"Besides deliberating the two reports and the amendment, we as delegates will elect a new CPC Central Committee and a new CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. These are three key things we must focus on," said Zhao Qinghua, head nurse of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.

The Congress will review the Party's work over the past five years and map out what the Party and the country need to do in the next five years and beyond.

Zhao brought three documents to Beijing – a speech made by General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping during a tour to Chongqing in 2016, her own observation of medical reform in Chongqing and a report on senior citizen healthcare.

"It's important for me to bring the voice of the people I represent to the Congress and make suggestions accordingly," she said.

The delegates represent over 89 million CPC members nationwide. Attendees include high-ranking government officials, Party leaders, and military officers as well as grassroots Party members such as sportsmen, farmers, technicians, doctors and teachers.

Delegates of Sichuan Province to the 19th CPC National Congress arrive at Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Oct 16, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

Zhao Shiyong, secretary of the Suining CPC Municipal Committee in Sichuan Province, said he expected the successes of the Party over the last five years to be put into theory and serve as an example for the future.

"Personally, I will look to how the Party will plan in protecting the environment and attaining quality growth," he said.

A total of 2,287 delegates have been selected to attend this year's congress. Of them, 771 are from the grassroots, accounting for 33.7 percent of the total.

"General Secretary Xi is a man of action. I expect him to continue to lead the country and guide people to build a better life with our own hands," said Deng Yingxiang, Party secretary of Mahuai, a small village in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

She expressed hope that the new leadership would continue to push ahead with the anti-poverty work.

Delegates of Yunnan Province to the CPC 19th National Congress arrive at Capital International Airport in Beijing, Oct. 16, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

"In three years, I believe each and every family at our village will have a car and a big house as they wish," she said.

"The great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new phase. The congress will tell the world what our new goals are and what we should do to achieve the goals," said Liu Jiongtian, a delegate and president of Zhengzhou University.

"I expect the Congress to respond to the needs and dreams of the people, make strategic and forward-looking decisions, and lead the people to build an even more prosperous and stronger nation," said Chen Jizhuang, a delegate and chairman of Benxi Steel Group in Liaoning Province.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency