III. Deepening and expanding work related to deputies

General Secretary Xi Jinping has made it clear that “state organs at all levels and their employees must use their authority and perform their duties to benefit and serve the people; adopt the idea that strengthening ties with the deputies to people’s congresses and the general public is an integral part of being responsible to the people and accepting their oversight; and listen to the comments and suggestions of deputies and the people with an open mind.”

The Standing Committee must take the lead in conscientiously putting these requirements into practice; actively respond to people’s concerns by strengthening contact with them and the NPC deputies in more areas and through a wider variety of channels; be where the people need it to be; voluntarily accept the oversight of the people; and constantly improve the work of the NPC.

We will uphold and improve the system by which members of the Chairperson’s Council and the Standing Committee maintain direct contact with NPC deputies, and support and ensure deputies’ efforts to listen extensively to the people’s suggestions regarding the legislative and oversight topics of the Standing Committee and proactively deliver these suggestions to the Standing Committee.

We will see that the Standing Committee, the special committees, and the working committees inform deputies of important developments in the work of the NPC and solicit their comments and suggestions on these developments, and make sure this work becomes regular practice. We will improve the system of soliciting suggestions from deputies on the drafting of laws.

We will see to it that the State Council, the Supreme People’s Court, and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate hold forums for NPC deputies at regular or irregular intervals to listen to deputies’ views on their major decisions and endeavors, and thus expand the avenues by which deputies learn about state affairs and developments.

We will introduce guidelines on helping deputies maintain contact with the people in order to foster closer ties between deputies and the people. We will set up a platform for NPC deputies to better perform their duties, and encourage them to participate in the activities of the liaison offices of their respective local people’s congresses. Through these efforts to extensively and directly listen to people’s suggestions and to give expression to social conditions and public sentiment, we will be able to better pool together and draw from the wisdom of the people. We will organize NPC deputies from relevant sectors to carry out research on issues of wide public concern which we have chosen and create proposals and suggestions.

We will give full play to the role of deputies, and strengthen our capacity to help them perform their duties in accordance with the law. We will improve the system of study and training for deputies as well as mechanisms to raise their ability and professional competence.

We will refine the mechanisms for deliberating on deputies’ proposals and better integrate the deliberation of their proposals with legislative work. We will improve the mechanisms for handling deputies’ suggestions, by helping the organizations to which deputies’ suggestions are referred strengthen direct communication and contact with deputies, so that these organizations can effectively improve their work and relevant policies to solve problems. We will actively and steadily make public the suggestions of deputies and the outcomes they produce.

We will improve deputies’ political integrity and conduct, support electoral bodies in improving their mechanisms for oversight in accordance with the law, and monitor and encourage deputies in the performance of their duties so that they work diligently and in accordance with the law and the codes of discipline.

The case of vote buying that occurred in the city of Hengyang, Hunan Province, was severely dealt with in accordance with the law and the codes of discipline. We must take this profound lesson to heart, and improve relevant institutions to close all loopholes. We must effectively strengthen the Party’s leadership over the election of deputies to people’s congresses, be strict in the election of deputies, follow procedures strictly in accordance with the law, make full use of the role of the standing committees of people’s congresses at all levels, improve the mechanisms for reviewing deputies’ qualifications, and tighten oversight over the whole process of electing deputies in order to ensure that elections are carried out honestly.

We will do our best in carrying out the NPC’s foreign relations work in light of the overall plans of the CPC Central Committee for the country’s diplomatic work. We will strengthen the mechanisms for regular exchanges with foreign parliaments and congresses and increase our friendly foreign contacts at all levels so as to consolidate the social foundation and public support for developing long-term stable relations between China and other countries. We will work to create a favorable external environment for domestic development; play an active and positive role in accelerating the country’s pace of “going global”, promoting the development of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and protecting China’s legitimate rights and interests overseas; and better comply with and serve China’s national development strategy.

We will make solid steps forward in strengthening the Standing Committee’s self-improvement, increase our sense of political responsibility as representatives of the people in exercising the power of managing the country, and concentrate our work and efforts on implementing the CPC Central Committee’s major policies and plans. We will follow the principle of rule of law in our thinking and action to improve and develop the work of the NPC, and play an exemplary role in respecting, studying, abiding by, and applying the law. We will continue to increase contact with local people’s congresses and hold conferences on the work of the NPC. We will put in place long-term mechanisms for making persistent efforts to improve the manner in which we carry out our work. We will improve the bodies of the NPC, and build a highly competent team devoted to legislative work and the work of the NPC as a whole. The bodies of the NPC must support the work of the discipline inspection groups sent to them by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and readily accept oversight.

Fellow Deputies,

The mission that this age has tasked us with is honorable yet formidable, and the expectations that the people have of us are great and deep-felt. Let us rally closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary as we work to break new ground and make solid progress. Let us make full use of the important role of the NPC and its Standing Committee as we advance in the great course of finishing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, comprehensively deepening reform, fully advancing law-based governance of the country, and promoting all-round strengthening of Party self-conduct. Let us work hard to make new contributions toward achieving the Two Centenary Goals and realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!