National Development Discussed and Charted at the“Two Sessions”

Every March， deputies to the National Peoples Congress（NPC） and members of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC） National Committee gather in Beijing for their annual sessions， which open three days apart.

The NPC is the supreme organ of state power in China. It has three executive bodies – the State Council， the Supreme Peoples Court， and the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate， which are responsible and report on their work to the NPC and its standing committee. The leading officials of their functional organs are all appointed by the NPC Standing Committee.

At the annual NPC sessions， deputies elected by the people in their respective regions make laws， deliberate and make amendments to reports by the central government， the Supreme Peoples Court， and the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate， exercising their power as representatives of the people.

The CPPCC is an important organ of multi-party cooperation and political consultation. Its members， produced through both recommendation and election and from various walks of life， gather at the annual sessions to discuss major state issues before decisions are made on them， by the NPC. This is why the NPC sessions open a few days later than the CPPCC sessions. The decisions made at the NPC will be executed by the State Council and the Supreme Peoples Court and the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate.

The “two sessions” are closely watched by the world as they send out signals about the latest developments in Chinas domestic and foreign policies.

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China （CPC） declared that Chinas economy has been transitioning from a phase of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development. China is now deepening reforms to strive for higher-quality growth. Under this trend， local peoples congresses （convened before the national ones） have put forward new goals accordingly. Shanghai， for instance， plans to build itself into an international economic， financial， trade and shipping center， and a socialist modern metropolis in the next five years.

The wellbeing of the people is the fundamental goal of development. State policies therefore must reflect the demands of the people. At this years sessions， local peoples congresses all decided to ratchet up efforts to improve peoples livelihood. For instance， medical care reforms will be advanced， through the introduction of graded diagnosis and treatment services and contracted family doctors， the establishment of a modern hospital management system and an integrated supervision system. Pensions will be increased， and care services for the elderly will be expanded. More kindergartens will be built with government support to cope with the increasing needs created by the “second child” policy. Eco-agriculture and green farming will be given priority in rural areas， which have long been plagued by depletion of agricultural resources and deterioration of natural environment. In addition， new business modes of online commerce will further boost the integration of Internet and modern agriculture.

As for foreign policies， China will continue to be committed to opening-up， peace， global partnerships， and the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration in engaging in global governance building a community with a shared future for all mankind.

The rule of law is， first of all， rule by the Constitution. This year the NPC will revise the Constitution， enriching it with the latest theoretical， practical and institutional achievements the CPC and the people have made in recent years. The Constitution has undergone seven revisions since 1954 in response to new situations of the country. They are all of lasting impact. The next revision will add to the supreme law the major tenets and policies set at the 19th CPC National Congress， including Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era， which represent the new achievements， experiences， and demands in the development of the CPC and the nation.