2. We celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the NPC, and strengthened our sense of responsibility and mission in adhering to and improving the system of people’s congresses.

On September 5, 2014, the CPC Central Committee and the Standing Committee of the NPC held a commemorative meeting for the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the NPC. General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the meeting, in which he reviewed the historic changes in China’s political system since modern times and expounded on the historical necessity for the establishment of the system of people’s congresses in China. He pointed out that this system provides a fundamental institutional arrangement for integrating leadership by the Party, the position of the people as masters of the country, and the law-based governance of the country, and is the fundamental political system underpinning China’s governance system and capacity for governance. He also made it categorically clear that we must firmly adhere to this system and improve it in step with the times, keep to the socialist path of political development with Chinese characteristics, and continue to expand socialist democracy and promote socialist political progress.

Guided by the important principles from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s above speech, we held a seminar on theory in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the NPC, at which we systematically reviewed China’s 60 years of experience implementing the system of people’s congresses. This invaluable experience has shown us that we must uphold the leadership of the CPC and ensure it leads the people in governing the country effectively; we must uphold the people’s principal position in the country and support and ensure their exercise of state power through the people’s congresses; we must remain dedicated to the historical mission of rejuvenating the country and focus our energy on carrying out socialist modernization; we must exercise governance of the country on the basis of law and build China into a socialist rule of law country; we must improve and develop the system of people’s congresses in light of China’s specific conditions; and we must adhere to democratic centralism and give full play to the features and strengths of the system of people’s congresses. We must always keep these lessons firmly in mind and constantly build on them.

The NPC and local people’s congresses at all levels organized various kinds of celebrations and commemorative activities to study, publicize, and implement the guiding principles from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech. Encouraged and spurred on by these guiding principles, our deputies have increased their sense of motivation and resolve for keeping to the socialist path of political development with Chinese characteristics.

3. We held activities to celebrate China’s first National Constitution Day and channeled great energy into promoting the spirit of the Constitution.

The Constitution is China’s fundamental law, and provides a general charter for governing the country.

On the eve of China’s first National Constitution Day, General Secretary Xi Jinping gave important instructions, within which he emphasized that China’s constitution is a good constitution, which is appropriate to the Chinese context, based in reality, and in line with the development of the times, and that the Constitution provides the fundamental legal guarantee for ensuring that China and its people can withstand the test of any kind of difficulty and risk as they continue, with resolve, along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. He also stressed that we must remain committed to integrating leadership by the Party, the position of the people as masters of the country, and the law-based governance of the country; keep resolutely to the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics; and remain dedicated to upholding the authority of the Constitution and all other laws.

In order to thoroughly study and implement the guiding principles from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions, we held a forum on intensifying publicity and education on the Constitution and energetically promoting the spirit of the Constitution. At the forum, we emphasized that intensive efforts must be made to strengthen publicity and education on the Constitution so as to instill the spirit of the Constitution into the hearts of the people, rally the people’s will and energy, and ensure full enforcement of the Constitution, and that these efforts must be made in light of the modern and contemporary history of China and especially the grand history of the CPC leading the Chinese people in the long period of arduous struggle, in light of the great achievements made in China’s reform and opening up and socialist modernization, in light of the experience gained in fully advancing the law-based governance of China, and in combination with our efforts to realize the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.