The National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, holds a press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2024, one day before the opening of its annual session. [Photo by Xu Xiaoxuan/China.org.cn] 

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the National People's Congress (NPC). The experiences and institutional advantages of the people's congress system were highlighted at a press conference on Monday. 

"Over the past seven decades, the people's congress system has come a long way, experienced significant growth, and provided an institutional guarantee for China's two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability," said Lou Qinjian, spokesperson for the second session of the 14th NPC, during a press conference before its commencement on March 5 in Beijing.

Lou added that, particularly since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the CPC Central Committee has continuously advanced theoretical and practical innovations within the people's congress system, securing historic accomplishments and making the system more mature and well-established. 

Regarding the valuable experiences in upholding and improving the people's congress system, Lou referred to the six principles proposed at the Central People's Congress Work Conference. These principles include upholding the CPC's leadership, using a system of institutions to ensure the people run the country, advancing law-based governance on all fronts, upholding democratic centralism, keeping to the path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics, and continuing to modernize China's system and capacity for governance.

China's annual "two sessions" draw global attention, and the nation's democratic processes during this major political event warrant deeper examination.

Whole-process people's democracy in China encompasses all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society, representing socialist democracy in its broadest, truest and most effective form. The people's congress system is an important institutional vehicle for realizing whole-process people's democracy, according to an article published in the Party's flagship magazine Qiu Shi.