Party plenum highlights institutional reform

A key meeting of the Communist Party of China has adopted a draft plan for the reform of Party and State institutions as part of broader efforts to enhance the Party's leadership over the nation's socialist modernization.

A communique released after the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, which was held in Beijing from Sunday to Tuesday, said the meeting agreed to submit part of the draft plan for deliberation to the first session of the 14th National People's Congress, which will open in Beijing on Sunday.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made an important speech at the three-day meeting, which was presided over by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and attended by 203 full members and 170 alternate members of the CPC Central Committee.

The meeting also reviewed and adopted a list of proposed candidates for the leading positions of State institutions to be recommended to the NPC session, as well as a list of proposed candidates for the leadership of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference to be recommended to the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, which will open on Saturday.

The two lists will be recommended, respectively, to the presidium of the first session of the 14th NPC and the presidium of the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, according to the communique.

The plenary session highlighted the major significance of ensuring the success of the two sessions — the annual meetings of China's top legislative and political advisory bodies — in rallying the whole Party and nation to unite in the endeavor to build a modern socialist country in all respects and move forward with the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

In deepening institutional reform, the meeting stressed the imperative need to bolster the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee and promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capabilities.

The communique said the meeting underscored efforts to coordinate the institutions of the CPC Central Committee, the NPC, the State Council and the CPPCC National Committee, and coordinate the central and local authorities.

Efforts are needed to deepen institutional reform in key areas and ensure that the Party's leadership over socialist modernization becomes more refined in institutional setup, more optimized in the division of functions, more improved in institutions and mechanisms, and more efficient in operation and management, the communique said.

The meeting urged all local authorities and departments to fully appreciate the importance and urgency of the reform of Party and State institutions, and faithfully implement the tasks of institutional reform.

It highlighted the need to further boost domestic demand, improve the level of resilience and security of industry and supply chains, foster a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized, and prevent and defuse major economic and financial risks.

The meeting pledged to step up efforts to ensure the public's well-being, including steps to put in place the employment-first policy, guarantee the living standards of vulnerable groups and strengthen weak links in healthcare, especially in relation to services in rural and urban areas.

It reiterated the need to improve the policy system to encourage childbirth, move forward with rural vitalization across the board, consolidate the outcomes from poverty alleviation and prevent the recurrence of poverty on a large scale.

The meeting reaffirmed the nation's unwavering commitment to reform and opening-up, pledging to adopt a host of "strategic, innovative and guiding" reform measures and work toward new breakthroughs in key areas and procedures.

The communique said the meeting stressed the need to adhere to and improve the basic socialist economic system, improve the modern enterprise system with distinctive Chinese characteristics, strengthen and refine modern financial regulation and promote high-level opening-up.

The plenary session called for continuous efforts to tackle pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance and take simultaneous, coordinated and comprehensive steps to ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity or desire to become corrupt, in an effort to win the tough and protracted battle against corruption.