On Monday, August 18, China’s State Information Office organized a briefing titled “High-Quality Implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan.” Officials from the Central United Front Work Department, the General Office of the NPC Standing Committee, the General Office of the CPPCC, and the National Ethnic Affairs Commission provided information on the development of socialist democracy during the implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan.
United Front: A Key Pillar of Democracy
Ma Lihua, Vice Minister of the Central United Front Work Department, stated, “The United Front is a powerful instrument for uniting public opinion and consolidating strength, representing an important aspect of people’s democracy throughout the entire process.” He noted that during this period, the political role of the United Front has strengthened, relations among parties, ethnic groups, religions, social classes, and domestic and overseas Chinese have become more cohesive, helping to consolidate broad knowledge and strength for the modernization of the Chinese model.
Multi-Party Cooperation and Political Consultation System
Ma Lihua also mentioned that during this period, 49 party consultation meetings were held, effectively contributing to consensus-building and scientific decision-making. More than 400 opinions and proposals were submitted through research on 10 themes by various democratic parties, the Federation of Industry and Commerce, and non-party members.
NPC: A Platform for People’s Democracy Throughout the Process
Song Rui, Deputy Secretary-General of the NPC Standing Committee and Director of the Research Department, said, “Under President Xi Jinping’s leadership, the NPC has achieved new successes during the implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan.” Since March 2021, the NPC and its Standing Committee have enacted 35 new laws, amended 62 laws, and passed 34 decisions and proposals, playing an important role in improving national governance, meeting people’s needs for a happy life, and safeguarding national security.
Regarding public participation, Song Rui noted that since 2021, drafts of 127 laws have been opened for public opinion, receiving more than 1.19 million comments from over 400,000 people. The NPC has also established 54 grassroots contact points to connect with local legislation, serving as an important channel for implementing people’s democracy throughout the process.
CPPCC: The Center of Consensus-Building
Hu Henglou, Deputy Secretary-General of the CPPCC, reported that the 14th CPPCC organized six training seminars with 3,624 participants. They conducted 30 thematic seminars to gather opinions from 538 members across 10 special committees and 34 professional groups.
Development in Ethnic Regions
Tuan Yijun, Deputy Director of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, said that from 2020 to 2024, the GDP of the five autonomous regions rose from 6.0129 trillion yuan to 8.3766 trillion yuan. During the implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan, 37.1 billion yuan was allocated to support development in ethnic regions. Looking ahead, Tuan Yijun stated, “We will continue to accelerate the development of ethnic regions and support the prosperity of all nationalities.”
Source: Svarna-Hashim-Lily, China Media Group.