Senior CPC official addresses ACFIC national congress

Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Li Qiang on Sunday attended the opening session of the 13th national congress of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), and delivered a congratulatory speech on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said in the address that the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has unswervingly consolidated and developed the public sector while encouraging, supporting and guiding the development of the non-public sector since the 19th CPC National Congress.

The leadership has rolled out an array of reform measures to bolster the development of the private sector, with persistent efforts being made to create a favorable environment for the sector, said Li.

Thanks to these efforts, China's private sector has expanded remarkably in terms of size and strength, and has played an irreplaceable role in boosting economic development, creating jobs, improving people's livelihoods, promoting innovation, deepening reforms and advancing opening-up, he said.

Highlighting the significant contributions of all levels of industrial and commerce federations, Li said that these federations, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, should strive for the high-quality development of private companies, high-level technological independence and high-level opening-up.

The federations should make efforts to encourage private firms to advance common prosperity and lead them to boost rural revitalization, stabilize employment and increase incomes, Li said.

Efforts should also be made to create a cordial and clean relationship between government and business, with policies conducive to business development and market environment featuring fair competition, Li added.

Hao Mingjin, vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee as well as chairperson of the Central Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association, and Jiang Guangping, vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, also delivered their respective addresses during the opening session.

Gao Yunlong, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairperson of the ACFIC, presented a work report on behalf of the 12th executive committee of the ACFIC.

The congress will hear and deliberate the work report, adopt amendments to the ACFIC's charter and elect a new executive committee.

Founded in 1953, the ACFIC is a non-governmental organization chiefly made up of enterprises and people in the non-public industrial and commercial sector.