Xi stresses imperative to give full play to CPPCC's political strengths

BEIJING -- The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) convened a grand gathering to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the CPPCC. The event took place in the auditorium of the National Committee of the CPPCC on the morning of September 20. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the conference and delivered an important address. Xi underscored the imperative of having greater confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture, giving full play to the salient political strengths of the CPPCC in advancing the whole-process people's democracy, and continuously consolidating and fostering a vibrant, stable and united political landscape.

Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi, who are members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice President Han Zheng, attended the conference. Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, chaired the conference.

The conference commenced with the majestic national anthem. Xi delivered an important speech. He pointed out that the practice in the past 75 years has fully demonstrated that the CPPCC stands as a remarkable achievement the CPC has made in adapting the united front theory, political party theory, and democratic politics theory of Marxism-Leninism to China's realities and to the best of its traditional culture. The CPPCC is a great invention by the CPC leading other political parties, personages without party affiliation, people's organizations and people from all walks of life and all ethnic groups in the development of China's political system. It has a profound cultural, theoretical and practical foundation, distinct Chinese characteristics and significant political strengths. It is a scientific and effective institutional arrangement, and has distinctive political value unique in the development of the political systems of mankind.

Xi stressed that since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, we have adapted to the situation and tasks of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, promoted innovation in theories on the development of the CPPCC based on practice, and constantly deepened the understanding of how the CPPCC should function and develop. The fundamental principles are as follows: the Party's overall leadership over the CPPCC must be upheld, the nature of the CPPCC must remain unchanged, the role of the CPPCC as a specialized consultative body must be given full play, China's new socialist political party system must be adhered to and improved, great unity and alliance must be maintained, strengthening ideological and political guidance and building a broad consensus must be taken as the central link, the central tasks of the Party and the country must be the focus when the CPPCC performs its duties, serving the people must be what the CPPCC pursues, the responsibilities of its members must be strengthened, and the CPPCC's capacity for performing its duties must be built in the spirit of reform and innovation. These 10 principles constitute our Party's important thinking on strengthening and improving the work of the CPPCC, Xi said. They epitomize the experience the CPPCC has accumulated in its development in the past 75 years, especially since the beginning of the new era, and are fundamental guidelines for the CPPCC's work on the new journey in the new era. They must be implemented in a complete, accurate and comprehensive manner, and continue to be enriched and developed in practice.

Xi pointed out that consultative democracy is an important component of the whole-process people's democracy, a unique form and distinctive advantage of China's socialist democratic politics, and an important embodiment of the Party's mass line in the political sphere. On the new journey in the new era, we must adhere to the correct political direction, improve the system of consultative democracy in an integrated manner, make efforts to improve the mechanism of consultative democracy, continuously expand the methods and platforms of consultation, and actively create a good atmosphere and favorable conditions so as to promote extensive, multilevel, and institutionalized development of consultative democracy.

Xi noted that, on the new journey in the new era, the CPPCC should carry forward its fine traditions, shoulder its political responsibilities, ensure the integration of Party leadership, the united front, and consultative democracy, and give full play to the role of a specialized consultative body, so as to rally the people's support, build consensus, draw on collective wisdom, and pool strengths for advancing Chinese modernization.

Xi pointed out that upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics is the linchpin of consolidating the common ideological and political foundation, and the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is the general guideline for the work of the CPPCC. The CPPCC must have a thorough understanding of the distinct political attributes of its system and its organizations, thoroughly study and implement the Party's innovative theories, constantly consolidate the common ideological and political foundation for unity and hard work, and do its work well for promoting political unity and cooperation, common ideological progress, and concerted action among all political parties, organizations, and people of all ethnic groups and from all walks of life.

Xi stressed that the CPPCC should leverage well its strengths in gathering talent and pooling wisdom, and further advance consultation and deliberation on state affairs with focus on major, challenging and hotspot issues concerning advancing Chinese modernization, further comprehensively deepening reform, promoting high-quality development and safeguarding social harmony and stability. He said that the CPPCC should also give full play to its strengths in consultative oversight, and help ensure that the Party and the state's major decisions and plans deliver substantially.

Xi noted that the CPPCC should improve its working mechanism that propels the role of the united front in rallying the people's support and pooling strengths. He said the CPPCC should strengthen the political guidance on intellectuals who are not Party members, those working in the non-public sector, people from emerging social groups and those from the religious sector, extensively unite and stay engaged with overseas Chinese, and expand the convergence of interests in building a strong country and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Xi stressed that it is imperative to improve the working institutions and mechanisms of the CPPCC, and strengthen the coordination and cooperation between its consultation and other forms of consultation. It is essential to refine the mechanisms under which in-depth consultations and interactions are conducted, opinions are fully expressed, and broad consensus is built. It is equally important to strengthen the building of mechanisms under which the CPPCC can know better about social realities and public opinions, and stay engaged with and serve the people. The CPPCC should do more work to know more about people's actual conditions, address their concerns and make them feel that we do care about them.

Xi pointed out that building a team of CPPCC members who have profound understanding of the CPPCC, are adept at political consultation and discussion of state affairs, and abide by discipline, value norms and moral integrity, is an important guarantee for the CPPCC to perform its duties in high quality. All CPPCC members should cherish their political identity, temper their political morals, improve their capability to do political work, and have a stronger sense of mission and responsibility so that they can devote themselves to the practical work of pooling collective wisdom and strength, consulting on decision-making, consultative democracy and national governance.

Xi emphasized that CPC committees at all levels should strengthen the leadership over the work of the CPPCC and support the CPPCC in performing its duties. The leading Party members group of the CPPCC National Committee should play a leading role in commanding the direction, managing the overall situation, and ensuring implementation of related policies, and improve and implement the organizational system and institutional mechanism for the CPC's leadership over the work of the CPPCC. With the progress of the CPC's political work as guide, it is imperative to promote the CPPCC's Party building in a comprehensive way so that a clean political ecology will be created for the CPPCC to perform its duties well.

Presiding over the meeting, Wang Huning pointed out that in his important speech, General Secretary Xi Jinping spoke highly of the historical contribution of the CPPCC, profoundly expounded on the CPPCC's distinct Chinese characteristics and significant political strengths, put forward clear requirements for continuously promoting extensive, multilevel, and institutionalized development of consultative democracy, and made comprehensive arrangements for the work of the CPPCC at present and in the future. The speech has pointed out the direction forward and provided fundamental guidelines for the high-quality development of the CPPCC work on the new journey in the new era. The speech is insightful and in depth, has rich connotations and is of political, ideological, and guiding significance. It is essential for us to earnestly study and implement the essence of the speech, Wang said. It is imperative to thoroughly study, comprehend and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thinking on strengthening and improving the work of the CPPCC, understand the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments," consciously act on the "Two Upholds," and guarantee the integration of the Party's leadership, the united front, and consultative democracy, striving to make new contributions to the development of the Party and the country.

Those present at the meeting included members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing, members of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat, some vice chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, state councilors, the president of the Supreme People's Court, the procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, vice chairpersons of the National Committee of the CPPCC, and former leading officials of the CPPCC National Committee who have retired.

Approximately 800 attendees were present at the meeting, including the leading officials from relevant central Party and state departments, and relevant people's organizations and units, leaders of the other political parties' central committees and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and personages without party affiliation, members of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee in Beijing as well as representatives of relevant sectors.