Xu Lin:

Thank you, Mr. Han. Now, let's invite Mr. Shen Chunyao to introduce the situation of upholding and improving the people's congress system. 

Shen Chunyao:

Good morning. Now, I will brief you on upholding and improving the system of people's congresses.

The Communique and the Decision adopted at the fourth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee emphasize the importance of upholding and improving the fundamental system, basic system, and important system that support the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and clearly state that we must uphold and improve the people's congress system, which is the fundamental part of the political system. The people's congress system is a fundamental political institutional framework that upholds the leadership by the Party, governance by the people, and the rule of law. It is the fundamental political system that supports China's national governance system and governance capacity. Under the new conditions, upholding and improving the people's congress system is of great significance for ensuring the governance by the people, developing socialist democracy, and giving full play to the advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and the national governance system.

The implementation of the people's congress system in China is a great creation of the Chinese people in the history of political system. Since the new China was founded, the Party and the state have decided to implement the people's congress system. In September 1954, the first National People's Congress was convened, marking the official establishment of the people's congress system in China. Held in December 1978, the third plenary session of the 11th CPC Central Committee started the new era of China's reform and opening-up and socialist modernization, when the people's congress system was revitalized and entered a new stage of vigorous development. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core has attached great importance to upholding and improving the people's congress system. It has made a series of important elaborations, adopted a series of important measures, comprehensively strengthened leadership over the work of the people's congresses, and promoted socialist democracy and the rule of law to create a new situation. The people's congress system shows a stronger vitality.

Over the past 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and especially since China adopted the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, the people's congress system has been continuously consolidated, improved and developed under the leadership of the CPC. The system has demonstrated strong vitality and great advantages, and played an extremely important role as China's fundamental political system. Its main advantages lie in the following five aspects: First, it fully guarantees the people's right to be the masters of the country. Second, it fully mobilizes all of the Chinese people to devote themselves to the cause of socialist construction as the masters of the country. Third, it effectively guarantees coordinated, efficient performance of state organs. Fourth, it firmly safeguards national unification, ethnic unity and social stability. Fifth, it provides powerful support for improving the national governance system and governance capacity. Practice has proven that the people's congress system is a good system that suits China's conditions. It embodies the country's socialist nature, ensures that the people are the masters of the country, and guarantees the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. 

The People's Republic of China is a socialist state under the people's democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants. All power in the People's Republic of China belongs to the people. The people exercise state power through the National People's Congress and the local people's congresses at different levels. This is the main democratic channel to consolidate and develop the people's status as the country's masters. With the aim of adhering to and perfecting the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and modernizing our national governance system and governance capacity, the fourth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee specifies the main direction, major tasks and requirements, and important measures on upholding and improving the people's congress system. It clearly answers questions of what to adhere to and consolidate, and what to improve and develop under a new historical condition.

We shall guarantee that the people exercise state power through the people's congress system, and all the people's congresses at different levels are democratically elected, responsible for the people and supervised by the people. We shall support the people's congresses and their standing committees to exercise their power and perform their functions in accordance with the law, and strengthen the system of the people's congress' supervision over the people's government, the supervisory commission, the people's court, and the people's procuratorate. We shall bring our deputies closer to the people, improve our liaison mechanism, and perfect the research, evaluation, deliberation and hearing system. We shall also upgrade our organizational and electoral system and strengthen procedural rules. To expand representation and get more people involved, we shall also appropriately absorb more deputies at the grassroots level. Meanwhile, enhancing local people's congresses and their standing committees is also a priority. Thank you.