"We will continue to exchange visits with prominent individuals in a number of countries, and we will cultivate multi-leveled, friendly contacts, exchanges and cooperation with institutions and NGOs in some countries and with international organizations in a well-planned, prioritized way," Jia said.
Talking about the CPPCC's contributions to the working out the 11th Five-Year Guidelines for National Economic and Social Development, Jia said formulating the guidelines has an important bearing on the long-term success of China's modernization drive and the attainment of its grand objectives.
"The Standing Committee focused on making suggestions for the 11th Five-Year Guidelines in the performance of its functions," Jia said. "The subcommittees of the National Committee, the political parties and organizations participating in the CPPCC, and many members of the National Committee conducted in-depth research on some major issues in formulating the 11th Five-Year Guidelines. Their work resulted in valuable and substantive comments and suggestions."
"Based on this research, the 10th CPPCC National Committee held its first consultative conference to discuss special topics," Jia said. "The Central Committee and the State Council attached great importance to this conference. Leaders of the State Council and concerned ministries and commissions participated at various times in different consultative discussions. Members of the National Committee made important comments and suggestions on transforming the pattern of economic growth, ensuring energy security and developing new energy resources, helping enterprises play a key role in technological innovation, carrying out urbanization with Chinese characteristics, achieving balanced economic development among regions, improving the mechanism for equitably distributing wealth, accelerating development of the Binhai New Area of Tianjin, and establishing an economic zone on the west shore of the Taiwan Straits."
"These comments and suggestions were incorporated into the Proposal of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 11th Five-Year Guidelines for National Economic and Social Development," Jia said. "Soon after the 5th Plenary Session of the 16th Central Committee, we held the 11th meeting of the Standing Committee to study and implement the guiding principles set out at the 5th Plenary Session and to make more suggestions for the 11th Five-Year Guidelines. The members of the Standing Committee from Beijing and some of the subcommittees of the National Committee also held forums at which they made many constructive suggestions for improving the draft proposal. Concerned authorities adopted most of these suggestions and made an official reply on their adoption."
Talking about CPPCC's work in 2006, Jia said the year 2006 marks the start of the 11th Five-Year Guidelines and is important for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects from a new historical starting point.
"The National Committee and its Standing Committee must take Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents as its guide; fully implement a scientific outlook on development; thoroughly study and implement the directives of the Central Committee on strengthening the work of the CPPCC; keep the themes of unity and democracy firmly in mind; fully perform the functions of political consultation, democratic oversight and participation in the deliberation and administration of state affairs; focus on helping implement the 11th Five-Year Guidelines and building a harmonious socialist society in performing these functions; be realistic and pragmatic; and work hard with a pioneering and innovative spirit in order to contribute further to China's all-round socialist economic, political, cultural and social development," he said.
Regarding the implementation of the 11th Five-Year Guidelines, Jia said the CPPCC must observe the principles of focusing on the central task of economic development and serving the overall interests of the country in performing its functions.
"We will carry out in-depth research on major, comprehensive, overall and futuristic issues, use the subcommittees to strengthen cooperation with the political parties and organizations participating in the CPPCC and launch studies on key topics such as how to build a new socialist countryside, how to make China an innovation-oriented country, how to build a harmonious socialist society, how to build a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society, how to promote fiscal and tax reform and reform of the banking system, and how to strengthen efforts to build a modern market system," Jia said.
On the basis of these studies, Jia said, "We will hold meetings of the Standing Committee for consultation and discussion and organize consultative conferences on special topics in a timely fashion in order to provide valuable comments and suggestions to the Central Committee and the State Council to make our proper contribution to helping China meet this year's major targets for economic and social development and promoting a more scientific approach to the country's economic and social development."
Helping to build a harmonious socialist society is a high-priority and strategic task for the CPPCC, Jia said. "At present, we need to pay more attention to social development, people's well-being, and interpersonal relationships. We will integrate the performance of our functions in promoting the two themes of unity and democracy with the role of the CPPCC in building a harmonious society."
"We will explore means and methods for the CPPCC to help build a harmonious society and review the experience of lower-level CPPCC committees in building it," Jia continued. "We need to make full use of the inclusiveness of the CPPCC to create channels by which people from different sectors of society can participate in political life in an orderly manner. We will encourage members of CPPCC committees to visit lower-level organizations, stay in close contact with the masses, reflect their aspirations and demands, help them with their problems, promote mutual understanding and good communications between them, and resolve conflicts between them to safeguard social harmony and stability."
Turning to the Guidelines of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee for Improving the Work of the CPPCC, Jia said the guidelines aptly summarize important statements from the three generations of the CPC's central collective leadership concerning the cause of the CPPCC, and new ideas and requirements concerning the CPPCC's work set forth by the Central Committee with Hu Jintao as General Secretary; clearly define the CPPCC's tasks for performing its functions and improving itself; and point out the correct direction for development of the CPPCC's cause.
"The guidelines are a programmatic document guiding the development of the CPPCC's cause at this new stage in the new century," Jia said. "CPPCC committees at all levels and organizations participating in the CPPCC should make it an important task to study and implement the guidelines, which will provide impetus for all aspects of our work for the present and some time to come. They should give high priority to the task and promptly and effectively undertake it. Local CPPCC committees should take effective steps to put the guidelines into practice in line with their own individual work situations, take the initiative to assist local Party committees and governments in making plans for implementing the guidelines, and promote the study and implementation of them in their localities."
"We should integrate the study and implementation of the guidelines with proper performance of our functions and explore new ways for the CPPCC to perform its functions," Jia said. "We should integrate the study and implementation of the guidelines with all-round self-improvement of the CPPCC, promote unity and cooperation among the political parties and persons without party affiliation participating in the CPPCC, and let the different sectors of society represented in the CPPCC, CPPCC committee members and CPPCC organs fully play their roles."
"We should also combine the study and implementation of the guidelines with the CPPCC's theoretical research work to promote innovation in CPPCC theory and work," he continued. "We need to combine the study and implementation of the guidelines with wide-ranging efforts to inform people about the CPPCC. We need to work hard to inform people about the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC and explain to them the nature, position and role of the CPPCC and how CPPCC committees at each level perform their functions in order to create an atmosphere conducive to the furtherance of the CPPCC's cause."
Jia also emphasized the importance to explore new ways to perform CPPCC's functions. "We will continue to emancipate our minds, seek truth from facts, keep up with the times, and use innovative thinking to create new means and ways to perform our functions of political consultation, democratic oversight and participation in the deliberation and administration of state affairs."
"We will improve our working mechanisms and ensure that the Plenary Session and Standing Committee meetings a success," he said. "We will draw lessons from successful consultative conferences on special topics, and do a good job in political consultation when these meetings are not in session. We will further improve ways to do research on special topics, and continue to use projects as a way to pool the intellectual resources of the organizations participating in the CPPCC and the representatives of all sectors of society."
"We will select projects that have particular significance for the overall work of China and try a new approach in which prominent people lead research with help from relevant departments," he said. "We will improve working contacts among subcommittees, among the political parties and organizations participating in the CPPCC, and between national and local CPPCC committees, and increase subcommittees' cooperation and coordination with Party and government departments. We need to promptly review and share the experiences of CPPCC committees around the country in the performance of their functions and focus on expanding application of mature and widely applicable approaches so that the CPPCC can constantly progress and develop in its work."
Top leaders of the CPC and of the state including President Hu Jintao, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao were present at the opening session.
Of all the 2,280 registered CPPCC members for the annual meeting, 2,154 were present at the opening session.
They are also listening to a report by Vice Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee Luo Haocai on how their proposals and suggestions regarding China's reforms and development had been handled since last session in March 2005.
The top political consultants will also be present at the upcoming Fourth Session of the 10th NPC -- China's top legislature, hearing and discussing the report on the government work delivered by Premier Wen, and discussing the 11th Five-Year (2006-10) Guidelines for National Economic and Social Development.
The Fourth Session of the 10th CPPCC National Committee is expected to last about 10 days and conclude on the morning of March 13.
Founded in 1949, the CPPCC consists of elite members of the Chinese society who are willing to serve as the think tank for the government and for the country's legislative and judicial organs.
As an open forum where the CPC, the non-Communist parties of China and people with no party affiliations discuss state affairs freely and on an equal footing, the CPPCC National Committee has been the manifestation of China's socialist democracy.
(China.org.cn, Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2006)
