Full Text: Work report of NPC Standing Committee(2)

Review of the Work in the Past Five Years

It is a glorious mission entrusted to us by the Party and the people to adhere to and improve the system of people's congresses and do the NPC's work well in the new situation. On the foundation of the work of past NPCs and their Standing Committees, especially the Tenth NPC and its Standing Committee, the Eleventh NPC and its Standing Committee adhered to and improved the system of people's congresses more consciously, worked hard, made active explorations, and enriched the theory and practice of the system. They accumulated fresh and valuable experience and ushered in a new stage in the NPC's work. In our work, what we developed the deepest understanding of was these six points.

1. Keeping to the correct political orientation for the NPC's work

The NPC is the highest body of state power and plays an important role in the political life of the country. Keeping to the correct political orientation is the basis for doing the NPC's work well and affects the future and destiny of the country and the nation. We always followed the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents and the Scientific Outlook on Development; unwaveringly took the path of making political advances with Chinese characteristics; upheld the unity of the leadership of the Party, the position of the people as masters of the country and the rule of law; adhered to the correct political orientation for the NPC's work; and implemented these principles throughout the whole course and in every aspect of performing duties.

First, we upheld the leadership of the Party. The CPC is the firm leadership core of socialism with Chinese characteristics and it takes serving the people wholeheartedly as its fundamental purpose. The Party's stand pools the wisdom of all its members and the whole country, and represents the common aspirations of the overwhelming majority of the people. We consciously upheld the Party's leadership over the NPC's work; implemented its basic theories, line, program, experience and requirements; carried out major decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee; turned the views of the Party into the will of the state through statutory procedures; and placed people recommended by the Party organization in leadership positions in bodies of state power through statutory procedures. We provided legal and institutional guarantees that the Party's line, principles and policies were implemented, and ensured that the Party fully played its role as the leadership core in exercising overall leadership and coordinating everyone's efforts. We ensured that all the work of the NPC, be it legislation, oversight, deciding major issues, or exercising the power to appoint and dismiss personnel, was conducive to strengthening and improving the Party's leadership, consolidating its position as the governing party and guaranteeing that the Party led the people in effectively governing the country.

Second, we adhered to and developed socialism with Chinese characteristics. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a fundamental achievement the Party and the people made through practice over a long period of time and it is the basic orientation for contemporary China's development and progress. Only socialism with Chinese characteristics can develop China. We had firm confidence in the path, theories and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, kept firmly in mind China's basic condition of still being in the primary stage of socialism, focused on the goal of finishing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, kept economic development as the central task, adhered to the Four Cardinal Principles and the reform and opening up policy, pursued development in a scientific way, strived to improve people's wellbeing, and promoted social harmony. We incorporated into law our practical experience in reform, opening up and socialist modernization in a timely manner; gave impetus to the effective enforcement of the Constitution, laws and major decisions and arrangements of the central leadership; and made full use of our role as the highest body of state power in ensuring and advancing the great practice of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Third, we adhered to and improved the system of people's congresses. China is a socialist country with a people's democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on an alliance of workers and farmers. The system of people's congresses is the fundamental political system that reflects the nature of China as a state and ensures that the people determine their own destiny. It is also the best possible way for the Party to fully bring democracy into play and implement the mass line in wielding state power. We fully understood the intrinsic nature of China's system of people's congresses, confidently made the most of these characteristics and our strengths, and carried out self-improvement and self-development of the system. We fully understood the essential difference between China's system of people's congresses and Western capitalist countries'systems of state power, resolutely resisted the influence of all kinds of erroneous thought and theories, and maintained a firm and clear position on major issues of principle. We drew on the political achievements of other societies, but never copied the model of Western political systems.