CPPCC pledges to strengthen supervision
Over 2,000 political advisors gather in Beijing for annual session
China’s top political advisory body started its annual session Friday in Beijing, pledging to strengthen supervision by political advisors and promote the reform of the political consultation system.
Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, delivered a work report to more than 2,000 political advisors who gathered to discuss major political, economic and social issues.
At the meeting, Yu stressed to implement major reforms in consultative democracy construction, and vowed to conduct more fififield field inspections and set up a new and normal pattern in which political advisors would hold conferences every two weeks and put forward proposals in specified sectors.
Experts pointed out that along with the bold reforms of the past years, China’s political advisors will play a more important role in promoting consultative democracy, calling for enhanced ability of supervision and participation in the discussion and handling of national affairs. Supervision
According to Wang Guoqing, spokesperson for the fifth session of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, political advisors submit-
ted 5,769 proposals in 2016, focusing on poverty alleviation, industrial transformation and reform of the medical and healthcare system.
Moreover, according to the work report, a total of 54 field research projects on specific issues such as the industrial upgrade in Northeast China have been organized by the CPPCC National Committee.
Wang told a press conference in Beijing on Thursday that this year, CPPCC members would start more investigation to supervise government’s push for the targeted poverty alleviation and the replacement of business tax with value-added tax.
Such investigations are very useful and necessary, CPPCC member Wang Weiping said. “After comprehensive investigation at the grass-roots level, members can better know about the real demands of the Chinese people,” he said. “Given this process, members’ proposals can be more grounded.”
In this year’s work report, Yu also said that China expanded supervision by political advisors by organizing 18 key supervision activities and discussing problems in supervision.
Bold reforms
China has implemented a series of reforms in the past years to promote the advisory body’s role in the democratic consultation system.
In 2013, a total of 31 provincial CPPCC chairmen were removed from their positions as members of the standing committees of CPC provincial committee, a move that expert said can help these CPPCC members better focus on their duty as a CPPCC member.
In 2016, China released the new Regulations on InnerParty Supervision of CPC, in which it stressed that the CPPCC shall exercise democratic supervision in accordance with the articles of association and audit organs according to law.
Besides, 10 members of CPPCC National Committee were disqualified for violation of laws or discipline since 2016.
“We have made lots of progress over the past years. Much improvement has been made in legal construction and the construction of credit system,” a member of CPPCC National Committee surnamed Yu told the Global Times.
“Chinese political advisors have exerted great influence in solving livelihood problems. Some reforms in the past years also promoted the country’s democratic consultation system,” Xu Xing, a professor of politics at Nankai University, told the Global Times.
However, Xu noted that as there is no legal basis for political advisors to supervise, it will greatly undermine the effectiveness. Moreover, some political advisors should also enhance their ability to participate in the discussion and the handling of national affairs.
The number of advisors in legal field and non-Communist parties should be increased in order to initiate more political proposals and accelerate the progress of democracy, said Xu.
In the words of Yu, the CPPCC is an organization of the patriotic united front of the Chinese people and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. It is neither a body of state power nor a policymaking organ, but an important platform on which various political parties, people’s organizations, and people of all ethnic groups and from all sectors of society work to discuss State affairs.