CPC leadership holds symposium for soliciting advice on economic work

BEIJING, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- On Dec. 6, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a symposium with non-CPC personages at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, and listened to the opinions and suggestions put forward by leaders of the central committees of the other political parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), and personages with no party affiliation, on the economic situation this year and economic work of the next year. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting and delivered an important speech. He stressed that 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and will be a crucial year for implementing the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25). Under the guidance of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and the Second Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. We will balance progress with stability, fully and accurately implement the new development philosophy on all fronts, accelerate the building of a new development paradigm, and effectively promote high-quality development. Efforts are also needed to comprehensively deepen reform and opening up, promote self-reliance and strength in high-level science and technology, and strengthen macro regulation. It is imperative to do a good job both in expanding domestic demand and deepening supply-side structural reform, ensure both new urbanization and rural revitalization across the board, and secure both high-quality development and high-level security. It is important to boost economic vitality, prevent and mitigate risks, improve social expectations, consolidate and promote the momentum of economic recovery, and effectively improve the quality of our economy and promote its growth within a reasonable range. It is important to improve people's well-being, maintain social stability, and make further progress in building China into a strong country and realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through a Chinese path to modernization.

Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, and Ding Xuexiang, members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting. Li Qiang, entrusted by the CPC Central Committee, reported on the relevant situation of this year's economic work and introduced CPC Central Committee's considerations regarding next year's economic work.

Those who took the floor at the symposium include Zheng Jianbang, chairman of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, Ding Zhongli, chairman of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League, Hao Mingjin, chairman of the Central Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association, Cai Dafeng, chairman of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, He Wei, chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, Jiang Zuojun, chairman of the Central Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party, Wu Weihua, chairman of the Central Committee of the Jiusan Society, Su Hui, chairperson of the Central Committee of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League, Gao Yunlong, chairman of the ACFIC, and Liu Weidong, representative of personages without party affiliation. They fully agreed with the CPC Central Committee's analysis and judgment of the current economic situation and its planning and considerations for next year's economic work. They put forward opinions and suggestions on deepening foreign economic and trade cooperation, implementing proactive fiscal policies, building a market environment for fair competition, and expanding effective investment. Their suggestions and opinions are also about promoting the development of new materials industry, accelerating the transformation and upgrading of consumption, promoting the commercialization of research findings, deepening cross-Strait integrated development, improving the internationalized business environment, and advancing the development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

After listening to their speeches, Xi delivered an important address. Noting that everyone has affirmed the achievements of this year's economic work and put forward a lot of good suggestions for next year's economic work, Xi said the CPC Central Committee will carefully study and absorb their views.

Xi pointed out that this year marks the first year to implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and is the year of economic recovery after three years of COVID-19 prevention and control. China's development is facing a complex situation, with more unfavorable factors in the international political and economic environment and a combination of cyclical and structural problems at home. The CPC Central Committee has united and led the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in rising up to challenges, adhering to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, comprehensively deepening reform and opening up, intensifying macro-control, expanding domestic demand, adjusting the structure, boosting confidence, and preventing and defusing risks. As a result, China's economy is picking up steam and solid progress has been made in high-quality development and building a modern socialist country in all respects.

Xi said that since the beginning of this year, other political parties, the ACFIC and personages without party affiliation, focusing on high-quality development as the primary task and forging a new development paradigm as the strategic mission, conducted in-depth fact-finding missions on major issues such as how to promote the upgrading of key industrial chains in the manufacturing sector, develop a system for new energy sources, and protect the Yangtze River's ecological environment. They have delivered all sorts of reports about their missions, and put forward opinions and suggestions to the CPC Central Committee, providing the CPC Central Committee with important information for making sound decisions. Xi, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee, expressed sincere appreciation to all of the participants.

Xi proposed three hopes to the other political parties, the ACFIC and personages without party affiliation. First, they should strengthen their political awareness and align their thinking and actions with the policies and decisions made by the CPC Central Committee on economic work. The performance and achievements in economic work over the past year have verified the CPC Central Committee's assessment of the situation and the decisions it made thereof. With the recovery of the country's economy still at a critical stage, it is hoped that everyone will continue to study and implement the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and give full play to the strengths of our country's new type of socialist political party system. Xi also expressed the hope that the other political parties, the ACFIC and personages without party affiliation will continue to raise their political awareness of serving the central work of the Party and the country, guide all their members and those they have connection with to think and act in unity in implementing the CPC Central Committee's major decisions and plans regarding economic work. Second, they should have more confidence in development, and do a good job in resolving doubts and building broad consensus. They should deepen the study program of "Enhancing Cohesion and Forging the Party's Soul to Strive in Solidarity on Our New Journey," and consolidate what has been achieved in the study to further reinforce the common ideological and political foundation for the joint endeavor in striving forward. Third, they should put forward more suggestions and proposals on promoting high-quality development. To leverage the distinctive features of their own sectors, they should focus on accelerating the building of a modern industrial system, expanding domestic demand and preventing and defusing risks. It is critical for them to facilitate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, strengthen the efforts on ensuring people's well-being, and further conduct fact-finding missions to make contribution to the CPC and country's sound decision-making. Xi expressed the hope that the central committees of all other political parties and personages without party affiliation will strengthen democratic oversight over the protection of the ecological environment along the Yangtze River, and assist in the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The ACFIC should continue to disseminate the CPC Central Committee's major policy that it will always unswervingly consolidate and develop the public sector, and unswervingly encourage, support and guide the development of the non-public sector, and that the Party will facilitate the healthy development of the non-public sector and those working in it. The ACFIC should work with relevant departments to effectively implement policies for promoting the development and growth of private enterprises, and support them in playing a greater role in promoting high-quality development.

Present at the meeting were Shi Taifeng, Liu Guozhong, He Lifeng, Zhang Guoqing, and Wu Zhenglong, and leading officials from the relevant central Party and government departments.

Also present at the meeting were non-CPC personages including Shao Hong, He Baoxiang, Wang Guangqian, Qin Boyong, Zhu Yongxin, Yang Zhen, Zhang Endi, Li Yuefeng, An Lijia, and Zhang Bin.