NPC & CPPCC Sessions 2016
THE National People’s Congress ( NPC) concluded its annual session on March 16, 2016. The session, which convened on March 5, reviewed and approved the outline of the 13th Five- Year Plan ( 2016- 2020) on Eonomic and Social Development, which calls for implementation of the concept of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development.
Other items submitted to and approved by NPC deputies included the Charity Law, the yearly Economic and Social Development Plan, the yearly government budget, and the work report of the NPC Standing Committee.
The Charity Law, the country’s first bill on regulating charities, will come into effect in September. Currently only a few charities are allowed to raise funds. The bill lays down provisions on the registration of charities, so giving approved charity groups more freedom of operation than is currently the case, and easing restrictions on their fundraising and other activities. It also stipulates tax benefits for charitable activities and closer scrutiny of their internal management.
Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee Zhang Dejiang said in his closing remarks that people’s congresses should play an active role in completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020 in the course of carrying out their duties. Zhang called on NPC deputies to enhance their sense of responsibility, develop close contacts with the people, promptly respond to the people’s needs, and accept the people’s supervision.
After 12 days of discussions, the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) closed on March 14, 2016. In his address to the closing meeting, top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng said that China is at a decisive stage in its journey towards building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020. The country has also set 2020 as the target year in which to double its GDP and per capita personal income from the 2010 level, ahead of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1921.
National political advisors approved the report on the work of the Standing Committee of the 12th CPPCC National Committee over the past year, and the report on proposals submitted by CPPCC National Committee members to this year’s annual session. The political resolution adopted at the meeting called for full implementation of the five development concepts, namely: innovation, coordination, green development, opening up and sharing; the strategy of innovation-driven development; and enhanced efforts to cut overcapacity, destocking, deleverage, reduce costs, and strengthen weak links.
Yu urged CPPCC members to make raising suggestions and contributing to the country’s development during the 13th FiveYear Plan period and the 2020 goal the focus of their work in the coming year.