A press conference for the Second Session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was held in the press conference hall of the Great Hall of the People on the afternoon of March 3. Liu Jieyi, spokesperson for the session, briefed domestic and foreign media on the conference and answered reporters' questions.

Liu Jieyi introduced that the Second Session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC will open at 3 p.m. on March 4 and close on the morning of March 10 in the Great Hall of the People, lasting for six days. During the session, opening and closing ceremonies, two plenary sessions, group meetings by sectors, numerous group meetings by smaller committees within sectors, and one sectoral consultative meeting for some sectors, will be held. Foreign ambassadors stationed in China will be invited to attend the opening and closing ceremonies.

The main agenda of the session includes: listening to and deliberating on the work report of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the CPPCC and the report on proposal work; attending the Second Session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) to listen to and discuss the government work report and other relevant reports; and deliberating and adopting the Political Resolution of the Second Session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC, the Resolution on the Work Report of the Standing Committee, the Resolution on the Report on Proposal Work Since the First Session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC, and the Report on the Examination of Proposals of the Second Session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC.

In reviewing the past year's work, Liu Jieyi stated that 2023 was the inaugural year for the 14th CPPCC National Committee. Over the past year, the CPPCC has adhered to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, deeply understood the decisive significance of the 'two establishes,' strengthened the 'four consciousnesses,' firmly upheld the 'four confidences,' and achieved the 'two safeguards,' earnestly implemented the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee, fully played its role as a dedicated body for political consultation, focused on central tasks to conduct in-depth investigations, research, political consultation, and democratic supervision, achieved a good start in all aspects of its work, and made new contributions to the development of the Party and the country's cause.

Liu Jieyi noted that 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the CPPCC. Holding this session of the CPPCC is of great significance. The session will summarize the work of the current CPPCC National Committee over the past year and make deployments for this year's work. The CPPCC will carry forward its fine traditions, keep in mind its political responsibilities, closely center around the overall situation, strengthen ideological and political guidance, actively offer advice and suggestions, broadly build consensus, strengthen its own construction, and continuously open up a new situation for CPPCC work in the new era.

In response to the question of 'What role can the CPPCC play in promoting high-quality economic development in China?', Liu Jieyi said that economic issues are of great concern to committee members and are a focus of the CPPCC's political consultation. Over the past year, the CPPCC has focused on advancing Chinese-style modernization, engaging in political consultation on a series of macroeconomic and important economic issues, and carrying out solid and effective work in supporting economic development: closely tracking and studying the economic situation to provide references for scientific and democratic decision-making; carrying out political consultation around major national issues and public concerns to support high-quality development; and conducting investigations and research into prominent problems to offer suggestions for resolving difficulties, bottlenecks, and pain points in economic development. This year, the CPPCC will continue to help consolidate the positive economic momentum, conduct diverse political consultations on important issues in the economic field, actively offer advice and build consensus among all sectors, and contribute to promoting high-quality development.

In response to the question of 'What work has the CPPCC undertaken in practicing whole-process people's democracy?', Liu Jieyi stated that the CPPCC is an important form of practicing socialist democracy and whole-process people's democracy in China's political life, and is an important channel for socialist consultative democracy and a dedicated body for political consultation. The CPPCC has continuously enriched the forms of consultation, improved the quality of consultation, leveraged the advantages of consultative supervision, and promoted the construction of the consultation system, ensuring that the requirements of reflecting the voices of the people and embodying the will of the people are implemented in all aspects of political consultation, democratic supervision, and participation in state affairs. Since the First Session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, 94 consultation events of various types have been held, with 5,087 people participating and 1,602 people making speeches, fully reflecting the opinions and suggestions of the masses.

In 2023, the CPPCC launched an innovative "Serving the People" activity for members' performance of duties. In response to a question about the specific achievements of this activity, Liu Jieyi introduced that nearly 2,500 "Serving the People" activities were carried out over the past year, actively responding to public concerns, reflecting public opinion, solving pressing problems, and broadly building consensus. At the same time, wisdom was drawn from the masses and transformed into solid measures to promote work. In 2024, the CPPCC will continue to focus on important decisions and deployments of the Party and the state and the concerns of the people, continuously carrying out the "Serving the People" activity for members' performance of duties, striving to resolve worries and difficulties for the people, earnestly doing practical things that benefit the people, and playing an active role in continuously enhancing people's sense of gain, happiness, and security.

People’s Daily (March 4, 2024, p. 2)