Xinhua: 

In 2018, the NPC held a symposium on studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's important ideas on upholding and improving the people's congress system for the first time. Since then, such symposiums have been held every year. Could you please give a brief introduction of the evolving process and substance of those important ideas and the efforts to study, publicize, and implement them?

Song Rui:

Thanks for your questions. The achievements in developing the people's congress system and in the work related to people's congresses are underpinned by the Party's sound theoretical guidance. General Secretary Xi Jinping's important ideas on upholding and improving the people's congress system derive from the great endeavors made since the 18th CPC National Congress to develop socialist democracy, practice the whole-process people's democracy, and uphold and improve the people's congress system. They are the embodiment of General Secretary Xi's profound thinking on the people's congress system, the work related to people's congresses, and socialist democracy and the rule of law. The evolution of those important ideas indicates that the Party has gained a deeper understanding of the people's congress system and the work related to people's congresses. As an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, those ideas have enriched and developed the Marxist theory of state and theories on socialist democracy, and provided sound guidance for upholding and improving the people's congress system, and for improving the work related to people's congresses. They constitute a scientific, systematic, and innovative theoretical framework, the gist of which has three dimensions. The first dimension is path and direction. General Secretary Xi has elaborated on a series of important principles for developing socialist democracy and put forward the concept of whole-process people's democracy and its development requirements. In particular, Xi has emphasized that we must follow the correct political direction and stick to the path of socialist political advancement with Chinese characteristics in upholding and improving the people's congress system. The second dimension is the people's congress system. General Secretary Xi has expounded the inevitability of China adopting the people's congress system and the system's features and advantages, thus enriching the system itself and expanding the requirements of practice. In particular, at the central conference on the work related to people's congresses last year, General Secretary Xi put forth the major principle of the "Six Musts." They include: we must uphold the overall leadership of the Party; we must provide institutional guarantee to ensure the people run the country; we must advance law-based governance in all fields; we must uphold democratic centralism; we must stick to the path of socialist political advancement with Chinese characteristics; and we must continue to modernize China's system and capacity for governance.

The third dimension is work related to people's congresses. General Secretary Xi has made many specific instructions on the work related to people's congresses. Also at last year's central conference, Xi proposed six major tasks for the work related to people's congresses in the new era. They include: we should implement the Constitution in all fields and safeguard its authority and dignity; we should step up efforts to improve the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics and apply good laws to advance social development and good governance; we should make better use of the power of oversight granted to people's congresses by the Constitution to deliver proper, effective, and legislative oversight; we should give full play to the role of deputies to people's congresses to ensure that they respond to people's concerns; we should enhance our awareness as political organs and strengthen self-improvement of people's congresses; and we should strengthen the Party's overall leadership over the work related to people's congresses. General Secretary Xi's important ideas and instructions have pointed the direction and provided guidance for developing the whole-process people's democracy, tapping into China's fundamental political system, and improving the work related to people's congresses in the new era. Over the years, the NPC and its Standing Committee, as well as the administrative bodies of the NPC, have made it a "compulsory course" to study and implement General Secretary Xi's important ideas on upholding and improving the people's congress system, and have held symposiums on this topic for four years in a row to spur the people's congresses at all levels to study, publicize, and implement those ideas. The NPC has formulated a five-year plan for studying and implementing General Secretary Xi's important ideas and actively put the plan into practice. In their daily work, the Standing Committee of the NPC has been using Xi's ideas as a guide to solving problems and has translated what they learned from their studies into the driving force behind their work. Thank you!