Nation to intensify reform drive

Top leaders including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang join members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference to mourn those who died in Saturday's terrorist attack in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, as the annual session of the country's top political advisory body opens in Beijing on Monday. ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY

Top political adviser pledges stronger support as CPPCC meeting opens

China's top political adviser Yu Zhengsheng pledged on Monday to further efforts to comprehensively deepen the country's reforms.

"We will perform all our functions in a spirit of reform and innovation throughout the course of our work and strive to play a bigger role in the development of the cause of the Party and country," he said.

Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was speaking as the second session of the 12th National Committee opened in Beijing.

In the past 12 months, more than 2,000 national political advisers have submitted 5,884 proposals, with 5,403 of these being passed to authorities.

As of Feb 20, the government had handled 5,396 proposals, accounting for 99.8 percent of the total. Just over 24 percent of them have been resolved or adopted, said Han Qide, vice-chairman of China's top political advisory body.

Gao Jixi submitted a proposal in 2013, suggesting the government replace coal stoves in rural areas near Beijing because of high carbon emissions.

As director of the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences under the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Gao was elected a member of the CPPCC National Committee for the first time last year.

A few months later, he received a phone call from the National Development and Reform Commission.

An official told him that his suggestion was already included in the Airborne Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan released by the State Council in September, and that the central government was promoting energy-saving coal-fired boilers.

As part of investigations into how to develop consultative democracy, seven vice-chairpersons of the CPPCC National Committee headed teams to visit 14 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, Yu said.

They heard opinions from various people, including local Party and government officials, members of non-Communist parties and experts.

Among various aspects of economic and social reforms, promoting an eco-conscious society is a priority for the CPPCC.