Belt and Road initiative takes center stage on CPPCC meeting eve

Wang Guoqing, spokesperson for the fifth session of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, attends a press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 2, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua/Xue Yubin]

According to the spokesman Wang Guoqing, a priority in the work of the CPPCC this year is to help strengthen cultural cooperation among the participant countries of China's Belt and Road initiatives.

He said China has seen a growing group of friends, as it strives to push forward the Belt and Road initiatives since 2013 and people-to-people exchange will bring the partners closer in their common pursuit.

"The foreign affairs department of the CPPCC National Committee will conduct research this year in a bid to find how to improve mutual understanding between the peoples along the routes, which is an important part the initiatives aim to address."

The initiative seeks to bond together more than 60 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa to work for a community of shared benefits, destiny and responsibility by enhancing mutual political trust, economic integration and cultural inclusiveness.

China has said the initiative, proposed by China, aims to benefit all the countries involved.

Since it was put forward in 2013, over 100 countries and international organizations have taken part in the initiative.

Over 40 of them have signed cooperation agreements.

There are now 56 economic cooperation zones in 20 countries along the routes, creating more than 160,000 jobs and bringing to local authorities over 1 billion us dollars in tax.

Domestically, the spokesman said assistance with the rejuvenation of the old industrial bases in the northeast is high on agenda.

"Based on thorough surveys, CPPCC members worked out 23 high-quality reports and held special consultations over the industrial restructuring and upgrading in the Northeast. Many of them gave pertinent proposals over how to deepen reform in the state-owned enterprises and boost development of those industries with unique advantages."

Wang Guoqing said the CPPCC will continue to pool wisdom and strengthen support for the rejuvenation of the region.

The CPPCC is an important organ for multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. It is an important means of promoting socialist democracy in China's political activities.

CPPCC members are elected from all walks of life. They are the think tank for the government, and the legislative and judicial organs. They put forward proposals on major political and social issues.

The main functions of the CPPCC are to conduct political consultation, exercise democratic supervision and participate in the discussion and handling of state affairs.

During a plenary meeting of its national committee last year, the CPC adopted a revised regulation on intra-party supervision which underlined the role of the CPPCC in exercising democratic supervision.

Wang Guoqing said the CPPCC will step up to its responsibilities.

"The democratic supervision by the CPPCC is different from either the intra-party supervision of the CPC or the supervision by judicial organs. Advisers, based on the platform of the CPPCC, exercise supervision over the state organs and their employees through proposals they made based on inspections and surveys."

The CPPCC annual conference marks the start of China's parliamentary season every year that also includes the plenary session of the country's top legislature, the national people's congress.