China's political season to gather momentum for securing xiaokang
The second session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 3, 2019.
China's top political advisory body started its annual session on Sunday in Beijing, raising the curtain on a key season in the country’s political calendar, which also includes the top legislature’s annual meeting.
Dubbed the Two Sessions, the season will rally support for securing a decisive victory in the country’s bid to build a moderately prosperous society, or xiaokang, in all respects.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening meeting at the Great Hall of the People.
“Building a moderately prosperous society in all respects is a cause that benefits our population of more than 1 billion people,” Wang Yang, chairman of the 13th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee, told more than 2,000 political advisers at the session.
China has set 2020 as the target year to win the tough battle against poverty.
Wang highlighted the importance of harnessing positive energy for securing a decisive victory in this goal.
He encouraged political advisers to focus on hot spot and difficult issues, promptly identify potential risks and dangers, and proactively report on social conditions and popular sentiment, so as to provide the Party and government with valuable proposals and suggestions to help resolve issues and defuse risks.
Describing the formidable tasks, the many problems, risks and challenges, and the complex demands involved in decisively securing a moderately prosperous society in all respects as “unprecedented in scale,” Wang pinpointed the need to build consensus and unity.
There are still 16.6 million impoverished people in China’s rural areas. More than 10 million people are expected to be lifted out of poverty in 2019, with 300 counties to get rid of the poverty tag.
“The poverty alleviation tasks this year are more focused on areas with abject poverty,” said Ma Quanlin, a national political adviser. “The gatherings of the national legislative and political advisory bodies will blow the horn on the final battle against poverty, and will pave the way for the final victory.”
In the work report delivered at the opening meeting, Wang commended the political advisory body’s work last year, saying new advances had been made under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi at its core.
“We gave full play to the CPPCC’s role as a body dedicated to consultation and carried out our dual responsibility of offering suggestions and building consensus,” Wang noted.
Xi Jinping (C, front), Li Keqiang (3rd R, front), Li Zhanshu (3rd L, front), Wang Huning (2nd R, front), Zhao Leji (2nd L, front), Han Zheng (1st R, front), and Wang Qishan (1st L, front) attend the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 3, 2019.
Over the past year, the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee has focused on the central tasks of the Party and country and fulfilled its duties with commitment to pursuing unity and democracy.
Political advisers have conducted consultations with a focus on fighting the three critical battles against potential risk, poverty and pollution, and on promoting high-quality development, according to Wang.
A total of 5,571 proposals were submitted by the CPPCC National Committee members over the past year, with 41 percent of them focusing on practicing new development concepts, deepening supply-side structural reform, and promoting high-quality economic development.
As of February 20, 99.2 percent of the proposals had been handled, said Su Hui, vice chairwoman of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, when delivering a report on the proposals.
With regard to the CPPCC’s major tasks in 2019, Wang said top priority will be given to studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
The second task is offering high-quality suggestions on the central tasks of the Party and the country, which include completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and deepening supply-side structural reform.
Making greater efforts for unity and friendly ties is another important task, Wang said.
Other major tasks include contributing wisdom and strength to diplomacy, making solid progress in the self-improvement of the CPPCC, and holding celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the CPPCC’s founding.
The 11-day CPPCC’s annual session runs almost in parallel with the annual session of the National People’s Congress, China’s national legislature, which is set to start tomorrow.
Members attend the second session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) that opened at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, on March 3, 2019.
