Full Text: Work report of NPC Standing Committee (6)

6. We strengthened research on the system of people's congresses and improved the NPC's information and publicity work.

In order to improve and develop the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and modernize China's governance system and its governance capacity, the Standing Committee strengthened research on the system of people's congresses; improved and strengthened the NPC's information and publicity work; fortified its confidence in the socialist path, theories and system with Chinese characteristics; and carried out theoretical and practical innovations in the system of people's congresses.

First, we intensified investigations and studies on the work and development of local people's congresses. Last year, we conducted investigations and studies on strengthening and improving the work of people's congresses at the county level. Teams led by members of the Chairperson's Council visited organizations at the community level to find out how deputies to people's congresses had performed their functions and what they had done when their congresses were not in session. These teams held conferences on the work of people's congresses at the county level to thoroughly discuss the new conditions and problems facing these congresses. They also requested the standing committees of the 31 people's congresses at the provincial level in writing to comment on these new conditions and problems. All this was for the purpose of understanding the general situation, main experiences, prominent problems, comments and suggestions concerning the work and development of people's congresses at the county level. The teams stressed the need to improve the work systems and mechanisms of people's congresses at all levels in accordance with the law and steadily improve and develop their work on the basis of the principle of reviewing work, drawing upon successes, making improvement and raising standards. The teams also stressed the need to take people's satisfaction as the highest standard of the work of people's congresses, truly improve their work style, and build people's congresses and their standing committees into bodies that can effectively perform all their legally mandated duties and functions.

Second, we carried out theoretical research on the system of people's congresses. The Standing Committee attaches great importance to this research and actively promotes the establishment of relevant organizations and platforms. The China Society for Theoretical Research on the System of People's Congresses was officially founded in January this year. It is not only an organization through which activities are carried out and a platform on which exchanges are conducted to strengthen theoretical research on the system of people's congresses, but also a new channel through which the Standing Committee increases its contacts with local people's congresses. We need to conscientiously review the experience of developing the system of people's congresses, discuss theoretical and practical issues concerning this system, and explore the characteristics of and laws governing people's congresses' work in order to provide theoretical and intellectual support for them to do their work well under new conditions and make this system and the work of people's congresses better manifest the character of the times, follow the law of development and be full of creativity.

Third, we improved and strengthened the information and publicity work of the NPC. We increased publicity about and reports on the whole process of legislation, provided prompt authoritative interpretation of laws we passed and improved guidance on public opinion in order to get all sectors of society to better understand the background and purposes of the legislation and the principles and content of the laws and create a favorable social environment for correctly implementing the laws. We increased transparency in oversight work. We kept deputies to the NPC well informed about the special reports of the State Council, the reports on inspection of compliance with laws, and our comments on them, and also posted them online at the NPC's website www.npc.gov.cn so that deputies and ordinary people could exercise oversight. We held the Conference on the NPC's Information and Publicity Work and stressed that in order to meet new requirements in the new situation, we need to increase our sense of responsibility and mission to do the NPC's information and publicity work well, and fully demonstrate the advantages of the system of people's congresses and the new work of the NPC through prompt, accurate and vivid reports with rich content.