Red Star News:

The CPPCC is an important political and organizational platform in China's political party system. Could you please make an introduction about its membership features? What mechanisms guarantee the right of CPPCC members from the non-CPC political parties to express views and raise proposals on behalf of their own parties? Thank you.

Wang Lianhai:

Thank you for your question and your concern regarding the work of the CPPCC. The CPPCC is a key mechanism for multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC, and its membership has distinctive features. Members of the non-CPC political parties and non-affiliates account for a substantial percentage of members of each CPPCC committee at all levels. They must constitute no less than 60 percent of the members of each CPPCC committee and no less than 65 percent of the members of the standing committee of each CPPCC committee; they must constitute no less than 50 percent of the vice chairpersons of each CPPCC committee at all levels (excluding those in ethnic autonomous areas). I would like to provide you with a set of figures to help you understand more. Since the First Session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in 2018, 1,299 non-CPC individuals have served as members of the CPPCC National Committee, or 60.2%; 195 as members of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, or 65%; and 13 as vice chairpersons of the CPPCC National Committee, or 54.2%. Nationwide, over 410,000 non-CPC individuals have been serving as members of CPPCC organizations at all levels. The CPPCC National Committee and provincial committees have members of the non-CPC political parties and non-affiliates serving as full time deputy secretary generals. Non-CPC individuals also make up a proper proportion of heads, deputy heads and members of the special committees under CPPCC committees. 

The CPPCC respects and protects the right of its members from the non-CPC political parties to express views and raise proposals on behalf of their own parties, and supports them to carry out discussions and consultations on major policies of the state. During the conference on the work of the CPPCC held by the CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that the role of the CPPCC as an important political and organizational platform in China's political party system must be given full play and mechanisms to guarantee the right of CPPCC members from the non-CPC political parties to express views and raise proposals on behalf of their own parties should be in place. To implement the guiding principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping's instructions and the conference on the work of the CPPCC held by the CPC Central Committee, the CPPCC National Committee has further enhanced mechanisms to leverage the strengths of China's political party system. It has established mechanisms for its members from the non-CPC political parties to submit proposals, deliver addresses at conferences, and report on social conditions and public opinion. These mechanisms are articulated in the relevant regulatory documents, such as the rules of consultation of the CPPCC National Committee, the general rules of the special committees, measures for selecting key proposals and overseeing their execution, and rules for making addresses at conferences. The proposals, addresses at conferences, and reports on social conditions and public opinion submitted by the non-CPC political parties have been dealt with, settled and reported meticulously. 

I will offer another series of statistics. Since 2013, the eight non-CPC political parties have submitted nearly 3,000 proposals, presented 525 speeches including 81 oral presentations, and delivered over 30,000 reports on social conditions and public opinion. They have made a positive contribution to leveraging the strengths of China's political party system, promoting harmony among all political parties, and serving national development in the new era. Thank you.