NPC Annual Session Closes, Approves Important Documents

Home>>China

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, March 16, 2002

NPC Annual Session Closes, Approves Important Documents

The Fifth Session of the Ninth NPC held its closing ceremony Friday morning, and adopted resolutions endorsing the government work report, 2002 budget plan, and 2002 social, economic development plan, and work reports of the NPC Standing Committee, Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The National People's Congress ( NPC), China's top legislature, closed its annual session in Beijing Friday, after approving Premier Zhu Rongji's government work report and other important documents.

Top Chinese leaders Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing, Li Lanqing were among the 2,813 NPC deputies at the closing of the 10.5-day session, which was presided over by Li Peng, who served as executive chairman of the closing meeting.

The lawmakers adopted a resolution approving Premier Zhu's government work report, describing it as "factual" in reviewing the government's work in 2001 and "positive and pragmatic" in outlining the tasks for 2002 and measures to be taken.

In his report, Premier Zhu vowed to further boost domestic demand to attain a relatively fast economic growth and pledged to further open up to the outside world following China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) last December.

He also vowed to take decisive measures to overhaul the market and modify government functions and raise its efficiency.

To stimulate domestic demand, Zhu said, the government will issue 150 billion yuan worth of long-term state bonds to finance the western China development drive, technical upgrading in state- owned enterprises, the south-to-north water diversion project and the protection of the water resources in the Beijing-Tianjin area, among others.

The legislature also approved the State Council's economic and social development plan for 2002, which sets the target of economic growth at seven percent.

Also approved by the lawmakers were the central and local budgets for 2002, the report on the work of the NPC Standing Committee in 2001 by its chairman Li Peng, and the work reports of the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

In the resolution on Chairman Li Peng's report, the lawmakers urged the Standing Committee to step up its legislative work, improve the quality of legislation and fulfill its commitment to initially complete a framework for a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics before the tenth NPC is elected next year.

In the resolutions on the reports of the Court and the Procuratorate, the legislature urged them to faithfully carry out their duties, uphold impartiality in juridical work, deepen their reforms, improve their work style and efficiency, subject themselves to supervision by the people and raise the quality of their staff.

Addressing the closing meeting, Li Peng described the annual session as fully successful, democratic, pragmatic and encouraging.

He urged the deputies to take the lead in implementing the decisions adopted at the session, and rally all cadres and ordinary people in scoring new achievements in China's modernization drive.

Premier's Report Revised on Advice from NPC Deputies

A number of revisions had been made to Premier Zhu Rongji's government work report before it was adopted at the closing of the Fifth Session of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC).

It was calculated that revisions were made at 28 places, with 16 regarded as important, on the advice made by NPC deputies and members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

The most attractive additions are:

It stresses introduction of competition mechanism while breaking monopoly in some industries, gives prominence to intensified strength in controlling corruption from the roots and stresses support to grain producing areas in agricultural development

Other revisions and additions include:

-- The sentence "Some forms of corruption are relatively conspicuous" in the paragraph on the current economic and social problems, the words "some forms" are deleted.

-- In the paragraph on the second task about increasing support to agriculture, the wording "deepening reform of the rural credit cooperatives" is added after the sentence "...improve financial service to agriculture."

-- After the sentence "we need to continue rectifying and standardizing the markets for construction..." in the Chapter of the same name, the words "real estate market" is added and after the sentence "... improve the system of responsibility for law enforcement and the system of accountability", the sentence "We need to raise the overall quality and level of law-enforcing personnel" is added.

-- To the contents about implementing the strategy of developing the country by relying on science and education is added the sentence "We should promote professional ethics in the academic area." After the sentence "pay full attention to public health and rural medical and health service" in the paragraph on "sustainable development", the contents about increasing investment are added. After the sentence "accelerate the development of social sciences, literature and art, press and publishing, radio and TV and other undertakings", the sentence "persisting in serving the people and socialism" is added.

Questions?Comments? Click here

CPPCC Annual Session Closes in Beijing

>> Full Coverage