Curtain falls on CPPCC as members seek ways to build better society

The top political advisory body ended its annual session on Tuesday with calls to focus on quality growth, especially at a time when GDP is slowing, and to make sure that the benefits of development are shared by as many people as possible.

The calls were made as the curtain fell on the annual session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), presided over by Jia Qinglin, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Female members of the CPPCC National Committee pose for photos after the closing session at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday in Beijing. [Guan Xin / China Daily]

More than 2,600 proposals from CPPCC members highlighted the goal of boosting the economy, steadily and rapidly.

But members also suggested reform of the fiscal and financial system, and sought greater attention for the environment. Energy conservation and wealth distribution were also high priorities.

The 2,600 proposals were selected from the more than 6,000 submitted by March 8 to the CPPCC National Committee.

Premier Wen Jiabao announced on March 5 a GDP growth target of 7.5 percent for this year, the lowest in eight years and down from last year's 8 percent.

"To slower the economic growth rate is one of our macro-control goals, but of course, it's also determined by a lot of uncertain factors in the global and domestic market," said Li Yizhong, former minister of industry and information technology, who is now a member of the CPPCC National Committee.

"Slowing growth is natural. I don't think we have to worry much about it," he said. "We should place more emphasis on upgrading our economic structure and solving some urgent problems through reform."

Tax reform has lagged behind economic growth, Li Daokui, finance professor at the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management, said.

The priority is to cut the taxes, such as value-added tax, that increase commodity prices.

That would be an effective way to expand domestic consumption, he said.

The CPPCC has played a significant role in helping the government in decision-making, members told China Daily on Tuesday.

As members of the CPPCC are drawn from various walks of life, they have a valuable insight on issues that can be passed on during the annual sessions, said Shi Jie, a lawyer from Southwest China's Sichuan province and a member to the CPPCC National Committee.

"I have paid attention to uncovering shortcomings in our legal system and defects in law enforcement," Shi said.

"I have handed in more than 50 proposals in the past five plenary meetings and I'm glad to see that much of my advice has been adopted by policy makers.

"For example, the National People's Congress recently put drunk driving into the criminal law. This was something I had urged. The CPPCC provides a stage for us to contribute our expertise to build a better society," he said.

CPPCC members also submitted suggestions on how the top advisory body could function better.

"The CPPCC has worked well in democratic consultation but it should be better empowered in supervision," Li said.

"We should not repeatedly discuss old issues and ignore some problems that have been overlooked just because the government's good policies have not been enforced at local level," he stressed.

Zhang Xiaomei, a newspaper publisher, suggested some procedural changes should be made for the CPPCC annual session to be more productive.

Wang Xiaotian and Lan Lan contributed to this story.

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