Read in Chinese

Speaker:

Mr. Huang Shouhong, head of the government work report drafting team and director of the State Council Research Office

Chairperson:

Mr. Chen Wenjun, director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO

Date: 

March 5, 2024

Chen Wenjun:

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this briefing held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). Today, we are very pleased to have invited Mr. Huang Shouhong, head of the government work report drafting team and director of the State Council Research Office, to elaborate on the Report on the Work of the Government.

Now, let's give the floor to Mr. Huang.

Huang Shouhong:

Hello, friends from the press. It's a pleasure to meet you and introduce the drafting of the report.

As you know, last year was the first year for implementing the guiding principles from the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). This year marks the 75th anniversary of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It is also a crucial year for achieving the objectives and tasks laid out in the 14th Five-Year Plan. Against the backdrop of a complex and changing global economy, how has China, the world's second-largest economy, done in the past year? How should we view it? What new goals have we set for this year? What are our plans? And what are the development prospects? These questions are not only of concern to the Chinese people, but also to the international community. The Report on the Work of the Government delivered by Premier Li Qiang this morning reviewed the work of the past year, made requirements for this year's work, put forward the policy orientation, and responded to the concerns of all parties.

The CPC Central Committee and the State Council have attached great importance to the drafting of the government work report. General Secretary Xi Jinping has issued important instructions and specific requirements on multiple occasions when presiding over meetings of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and during the deliberation on the report, providing guidance and fundamental guidelines for the drafting of the report. Premier Li Qiang presided over the drafting of this year's report. He chaired executive and plenary meetings of the State Council to discuss the draft, and convened several themed symposiums to study and revise the report and formulate relevant policies.

This year's Report on the Work of the Government follows the conventions of previous reports. As you know, the Report on the Work of the Government is a programmatic document for government governance and is normative to a certain degree. Therefore, this year's report follows the established norms, but also has some new characteristics, which can be summarized in many ways. In my personal opinion, they can be viewed from the following three aspects:

First, the report this year both reflects "top-down alignment" and is "down-to-earth." "Top-down alignment" means that the report precisely keeps to the correct political direction and fully adheres to the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. This can also be said to be the most prominent and important feature of this year's report. As we all know, at the beginning of its term of office last year, the current government made it clear that it would act as a faithful executor and an action-oriented and pragmatic team for the implementation of the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee. When the drafting work began this year, Premier Li Qiang clearly requested that the report thoroughly implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee. The main content of the report this year, including the review of last year's work and the overall requirements, main targets for development, macro policy orientations, and key tasks of government work this year, were all drafted in accordance with the guiding principles of the important speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the Central Economic Work Conference last year. The report this year includes 10 major tasks, nine of which are the key tasks deployed by the general secretary in his speech at the Central Economic Work Conference. At the same time, considering that education, science and technology, and talents are the foundational and strategic pillars for building a modern socialist country in all respects, and considering that the 20th CPC National Congress has listed "science and technology, education and talents" in a separate section, the report has added a new section on "invigorating China through science and education and consolidating the foundations for high-quality development." Meanwhile, following established practice, the report also incorporates content on culture, social governance, government self-improvement, ethnic and religious affairs, overseas Chinese affairs, national defense and military development, Hong Kong and Macao, Taiwan, and diplomacy. These parts have all been drafted in line with the relevant directives of the CPC Central Committee. Following the Central Economic Work Conference, the CPC Central Committee convened a series of important meetings, including those of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform and the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs , which also resulted in the formulation of key measures. After each meeting, the drafting team promptly studied and grasped the new initiatives and incorporated them into the report. Consequently, during the solicitation of opinions, all parties unanimously agreed that this year's report effectively embodies the "three full reflections." This means that it fully reflects Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; fully reflects the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and the Central Economic Work Conference; and fully reflects the important instructions and directives of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee.