III. We will improve the quality of our work related to you and get you
to fully play your role.
This Standing Committee attaches great importance to its work related to you.
We have done a great deal of work over the past few years in giving you a
greater role to play and improving the system of the Standing Committee in
accordance with the guiding principles set out in Document No. 9 of the Central
Committee. To date we have handled 2,976 bills and 23,232 proposals from you,
issued more than 2,000 invitations to you to attend meetings of the Standing
Committee, organized inspection tours and special research projects involving
nearly ten thousand of you, and prepared 12 work-related documents. We greatly
increased efforts to serve you well and gave you a bigger role to play. We will
continue to follow the guiding principles set out in Document No. 9 during the
new year, strive to improve the quality of our work related to you, get you to
play a bigger role, and make continued progress in the work of the NPC.
We will further expand channels through which you interact with the people.
We will support your active participation in activities organized by the bodies
that selected you, improve the way activities for teams of deputies are
organized, and increase contact and communication between you and deputies to
local people's congresses at all levels. We will arrange more inspection tours
and special research projects for you to help you maintain close contact with
the people, fully understand the conditions of the people, fully reflect popular
sentiment and pool the wisdom of a wide range of people.
We will further strengthen your role in legislation and oversight work. The
Standing Committee will take into full consideration your bills and proposals
when planning legislation and oversight work and working out meeting agendas.
More of you who submit proposals or suggestions will be invited to participate
in the drafting and deliberation of relevant bills and in inspections of
compliance with the law, and we will fully take your proposals and suggestions
into consideration. We will continue to improve the mechanism for having you
attend meetings of the Standing Committee as non-voting participants. In
accordance with the agenda of the meeting and your wishes, the Standing
Committee will invite those of you who are familiar with the topic under
discussion or are involved with the concerned area, especially deputies to
people's congresses at lower levels, to attend meetings of the Standing
Committee as non-voting participants. The Standing Committee should give full
consideration to the comments and suggestions of these participants.
We will do even more to serve you well. Modern Internet technology will be
fully utilized to keep you better informed about state affairs and developments
and provide you with more information. We will give more training to you,
carefully review your experience in performing your duties in accordance with
the law and improve measures to ensure that you are able to play your role. The
liaison office of the NPC will improve its work by providing careful and
considerate service to you when the NPC is in recess.
Fellow Deputies,
Election of deputies to people's congresses is a matter of great importance
in the improvement of China's socialist democratic politics. Starting in July of
last year, new people's congresses at the county and township levels across the
country will be elected at the same time in accordance with the provision of the
amendment to the Constitution changing the term of township people's congresses
from three years to five years. This change affects 900 million voters for more
than 30,000 county and township people's congresses. All local governments are
paying pay very close attention to this work, diligently following the
arrangements of the Central Committee, and steadfastly acting in accordance with
the law. The election of the new county and township people's congresses is
proceeding smoothly. The election of new people's congresses at the level of
cities divided into districts, autonomous prefectures, provinces, autonomous
regions and municipalities directly under the central government will also be
taking place during the second half of this year. A decision will be made at
this session concerning the election of deputies to the Eleventh NPC and matters
related to the election will be put on the agenda. Successfully carrying out
elections of deputies to people's congresses is an important task for people's
congresses at all levels and their standing committees. We must uphold the
leadership of the Party, strongly advocate democracy, act strictly in accordance
with the law and elect outstanding people who strictly obey the Constitution and
other laws, maintain close ties with the masses, work hard to serve the people
and enjoy their trust as deputies to people's congresses at all levels. This
will provide a solid organizational guarantee for upholding and improving the
system of people's congresses and bringing about a new phase in the work of
people's congresses.
We need to actively carry out the foreign exchange work of the NPC this year
in accordance with the basic principles and overall arrangements for China's
foreign relations work. We need to carry out extensive exchange and cooperation
activities with other parliaments and congresses, actively participate in
Russia's Year of China activities and continue to fully play our role in
international and regional parliamentary organizations, focusing on
strengthening and improving the mechanism for regular exchanges with other
parliaments and congresses, in order to create an excellent international
environment for peaceful development and make our due contribution to promoting
the development of a harmonious world.
We will continue to intensify the Standing Committee's self-improvement
efforts. We need to firmly establish the concept of giving high priority to the
Party, the overall situation, the people, democracy and the legal system, work
more resolutely and conscientiously to uphold and improve the system of people's
congresses, and constantly increase our ability to carry out our duties in
accordance with the law and improve our actual performance in doing so. We will
carry out extensive investigations and studies, diligently review our actual
experience and widely publicize the work of the NPC. We will vigorously
implement the fifth five-year plan to increase public awareness of the law in
order to increase understanding of the legal system among the general public. We
will continue to strengthen contacts with local people's congresses and work
with them to improve socialist democracy and the socialist legal system. The
organs of the Standing Committee should intensify all aspects of their
self-improvement efforts, focusing on improving the political standards and
professional skills of their cadres to more fully play their role as a
collective adviser and assistant to the Standing Committee and their role in
providing services to you.
Fellow Deputies,
Let us rally closely around the Central Committee with Comrade Hu Jintao as
General Secretary, hold high the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory and the
important thought of Three Represents, fully put into practice the Scientific
Outlook on Development, and demonstrate strong political fervor, be in excellent
spirits and make outstanding achievements in our work to welcome a successful
convening of the Seventeenth National Party Congress!
