2,229 political advisers to meet
By Jiang Zhuqing (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-03-02 23:43

China's top advisory body, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), will kick off its annual session today in Beijing.

"By 12:00 o'clock at noon today, 1,312 of the 2,229 CPPCC members had reported to the secretariat," said Zhang Guoxiang, spokesman of the Second Session of the 10th National Committee of CPPCC, at a press conference Tuesday. "The secretariat has received 223 proposals and 324 written speeches."

Though not all of them have been reviewed, he said there are proposals to tackle the problems affecting rural areas and revitalization of the industrial bases in Northeast China.

"Such proposals will attract high attention from the central government so they will facilitate solutions to the problems," he said.

By Tuesday, all the preparations for the meeting had been completed smoothly, said Zhang.

Hailing it a significant event of Chinese people's political life, Zhang said the CPPCC members will discuss the government report and other related reports, examine the report of CPPCC Standing Committee and amendments to the CPPCC Charter.

During the session, members will also attend a plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) to hear explanations on the draft of the amendments to the Constitution as non-voting members, he said.

Constitutional amendments are widely regarded as the most important agenda item of the Second Session of the 10th NPC, which will open on March 5.

Other hot issues on the agenda of both sessions include fighting corruption, increasing farmers' income, helping laid-off workers find jobs, improving social security, protecting the environment as well as coping with land requisition, reports said.

Different from past sessions on which the CPPCC chairs only gave speeches at the end of the meetings, the spokesman said the CPPCC Chairman Jia Qinglin will make a work report of the CPPCC Standing Committee to the session at the opening ceremony on March 3 without speaking at the closing ceremony.

Session to amend charter of CPPCC

The CPPCC will also look at amending its Charter. Members have agreed that the important thought of "three represents" and major theoretical principles, ideas and policies set forth by the 16th CPC Congress should be incorporated into the new Charter, Zhang said.

Besides, successful experiences of CPPCC work should be extracted and reflected into the amended Charter while procedure should be further improved and standardized to streamline the CPPCC's role, he said.

"They will also express their suggestions on key issues bearing significance of the overall interest of reform and opening-up in China as well of the common people," he said.

"The existing CPPCC charter is a very good one. The charter's stability should be kept as it, in general, conforms to the requirements of China's reform and opening-up and the socialist modernization drive," said Zheng Wantong, secretary-general of 10th National Committee of the CPPCC.

Meanwhile, amendments to the charter are necessary so it can meet the new tasks confronting the CPPCC, said Zheng at a meeting of standing CPPCC National Committee members on Friday.

Amending the CPPCC charter is an essential matter that influences the system of multi-party co-operation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, he said.

According to Zheng, consequent amendments will be made to the charter in line with amendments to the Constitution, which are set to be discussed during the Second Session of the National People's Congress starting on Friday.

But amending the CPPCC charter is not the only hot issue as more advisers are paying attention to matters affecting every Chinese citizen.

Putting forward proposals is the most direct way that CPPCC members can have in State affairs and in the drafting of national policies.

Since the first session of the 10th National Committee of the CPPCC last year, the CPPCC's proposal committee has received 3,819 proposals, of which 3,576 have been accepted and passed on to more than 150 central and local government departments, as well as societies concerned.

Statistics show that most of the proposals raised by the CPPCC members tackle economic development, science, education, culture, public health and legislation.

By February 20, feedback had been given to 98.8 per cent of the proposals and 83.4 per cent of the problems mentioned in the proposals had been resolved or were on the way to being settled.

Topics touched upon most in these proposals included issues related to farmers, the progress and drawbacks of modernization, economic structure, the reform of commercial banks, food safety, anti-corruption measures, and the growing gap between the rich and the poor.

CPPCC member Liang Chaoran, from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said he always gives his attention to the establishment of the social security system in rural areas.

Between August and November last year, 67-year-old Liang, joined by his research panel, conducted a thorough investigation covering more than 20 counties and cities in the region.

"The vast rural area has made great contributions to China's industrialization and urbanization for a long time," said Liang, who drafted a report based on his investigation. "But the wretched economic situation in the rural area has bought forward the realization of the need for social security."

He suggested that: "The establishment of the social security system in the rural area should be put on the agenda during the formation of the social welfare system in China."

Liang was not alone in his concern for the future of farmers.

CPPCC member Xu Yongguang said the increasing marginalization of children of migrant workers, who are mainly farmers -- in terms of education -- will not only produce a new generation of illiterates but also distort their views toward social fairness.

Statistics show that 90 per cent of the 7 million or so children of migrant workers can go to primary schools, but only 20 per cent have the chance to undertake further study.