Full Text: Work report of NPC Standing Committee(8)

Plan for This Year's Work

At its Eighteenth National Congress in November 2012, the CPC held high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, fixed the historical position of the Scientific Outlook on Development, laid down the basic requirements for achieving new victories for socialism with Chinese characteristics, set the objectives of finishing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and comprehensively deepening reform and opening up, formulated a master plan for advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics under the new historical conditions, and drew up a grand blueprint for finishing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and accelerating socialist modernization, thereby charting the course for developing the cause of the Party and country, and setting out new, clear requirements for strengthening and improving the work of the NPC. We will thoroughly study and implement the guiding principles of the Eighteenth National Party Congress, concentrate our wisdom and strength on fulfilling the tasks it set, enhance our sense of responsibility and awareness of dangers, do the work of the NPC with greater energy and drive, and adhere to and improve the system of people's congresses.

We will unswervingly keep to the socialist path of making political advances with Chinese characteristics. Taking the principle that the people are the masters of the country as the foundation, and enhancing the vitality of the Party and country and motivating the people's enthusiasm as the goal, we will make people's democracy more extensive, fuller in scope and sounder; support and ensure the people's exercise of state power through people's congresses; and make socialist democracy more institutionalized, standardized and procedurized. We will make full use of the political strength of the CPC in its position as the firm leadership core of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the institutional strength of the people wielding all state power, and the systemic strength of state bodies implementing the principle of democratic centralism, and ensure that China always forges ahead with the orientation of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Focusing on the grand objective of finishing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, we will fully play our role as the highest body of state power, exercise the powers of legislation, oversight and making decisions on the appointment or removal of employees in state bodies, strengthen organization and coordination of our legislative work, and improve legislation in key areas. We will promptly formulate or revise laws relating to improving the socialist market economy, giving impetus to the change of the growth model, ensuring and improving peoples wellbeing, strengthening and making innovations in social management, developing a strong socialist culture in China and furthering ecological progress. We will make full use of the role of laws to guide, stimulate, standardize and guarantee. We will strengthen oversight of the State Council, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. We will spur the attainment of the central leadership's new targets and the implementation of its new measures. We will focus on giving impetus to developing in a scientific way, promoting social harmony, and improving people's lives and wellbeing, and enable the Chinese people to lead happier lives.

We will comprehensively advance law-based governance of the country. We will enhance the important role that the rule of law plays in national governance and social management. We will safeguard the unity, sanctity and authority of our legal system and improve the socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics. We will make legislation more scientific and democratic and expand channels for orderly public participation in legislation. We will strengthen constraints and oversight of the exercise of power, oversee and support state bodies in exercising their power in accordance with statutory mandate and procedures, and make sure that laws are obeyed and strictly enforced and lawbreakers are prosecuted. We will carry out intensive publicity and education about the law, and make officials more aware of the law and better able to act in accordance with it. We will guide the people to express their reasonable demands, protect their legitimate rights and interests, and resolve their problems and disputes in accordance with the law. We will move faster to build a socialist country under the rule of law and put all the country's work on a legal footing.

The year 2013 is the first year for fully implementing the guiding principles of the Eighteenth National Party Congress and also the first year of the term of the Twelfth NPC and its Standing Committee. In accordance with the guiding principles of the Eighteenth Party Congress and the arrangements of the Central Economic Work Conference, and with help from relevant departments, the General Office of the Standing Committee has identified the key areas of the Standing Committee's work and drawn up a plan for its legislative and oversight work for 2013, which has been passed in principle by the Chairperson's Council of the Standing Committee of the Eleventh NPC. Its priorities are:

First, we will quickly formulate a five-year legislative plan and continue to deliberate the draft revisions of the Budget Law, the Trademark Law, the Environmental Protection Law and the Land Administration Law and the drafts of the Tourism Law, the Asset Evaluation Law, and the Special Equipment Safety Law.

Second, we will listen to and deliberate reports on thoroughly implementing the strategy for large-scale development of the western region, advancing urbanization, and combating graft and corruption; investigate compliance with the Law on Administrative Reconsideration, the Law on Compulsory Education, and the Law on Renewable Energy; carry out investigations and studies on strengthening examination and oversight of all government budgets and final accounts; and deliberate reports on rural poverty reduction and development and on prevention and control of communicable diseases and conduct inquiries on these issues.

Third, we will improve the system by which our deputies maintain contact with the people, conscientiously handle deputies' bills and proposals, arrange activities for deputies when the NPC is not in session, organize deputies to perform their duties and study, and support and ensure their lawful performance of their duties.

We believe that under the firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee and with the strong support from the people of all the country's ethnic groups, the new NPC and its Standing Committee will surely prove worthy of the great trust placed in them, accomplish their mission, raise the work of the NPC to new levels, and make a great contribution to upholding and improving the system of people's congresses and finishing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

Fellow Deputies,

Socialism with Chinese characteristics now stands at a new historical starting point, and the bright prospects for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation are spurring us forward. Let us rally closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary; hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics; take Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents and the Scientific Outlook on Development as our guide; work hard together in a pioneering spirit; and strive to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and win new victories for socialism with Chinese characteristics.