XI'S CALL TO FUEL GROWTH BOOSTS CONFIDENCE

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends a panel discussion of national political advisers from the economic sector on May 23, 2020 in Beijing.

President Xi Jinping's call for national efforts to foster new growth drivers and leverage China's economic resilience, to ensure steady development amid rising challenges, has laid out a clear direction for the country's economic and social policies and substantially boosted people's confidence, national political advisers and experts said.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended a panel discussion of national political advisers from the economic sector on Saturday in Beijing, as they gathered for the third session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body.

The president made a speech after hearing the remarks of the political advisers. He said that efforts should be made to leverage China's potential and role as the world's largest market, clarify the strategic direction of supply-side structural reform, and consolidate the basic trend of steady economic growth with sound momentum in the long term.

Political advisers and experts said that Xi's speech emphasized the inner strength of the Chinese economy amid growing external uncertainties and challenges, showing the leadership's strong determination to overcome difficulties and achieve the country's set objectives.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech has provided guidance for our country's economic development. It also pointed out a clear direction for the national effort to control the COVID-19 epidemic and further push social and economic development," said Chen Bailing, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and the Central Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association.

In his speech, Xi said China's economy is at a pivotal stage for transforming the growth model, improving economic structure and fostering new growth drivers. The president said the economy now faces relatively heavy pressure due to difficulties and challenges caused by intertwined structural, institutional and cyclical problems, which have been compounded by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Xi said that despite the rising instability and uncertainties in the world, China's economy is still characterized by ample potential, strong resilience and sufficient policy instruments.

The president also stressed the need to ensure stability and security in areas such as employment, people's basic livelihoods and the survival of businesses, especially private and smaller companies which are the country's major job providers.

During his discussion with the national political advisers on Saturday, Xi also called for faster progress in advancing the development of the digital economy, intelligent manufacturing, health, new materials and other strategic emerging industries, highlighting the creation of new growth areas and drivers.

In his speech, Xi also called for unwavering efforts to make economic globalization more open, inclusive and balanced so that its benefits are shared by all, and to build an open world economy.

TOP LEGISLATURE SETS YEAR'S PRIORITIES

Ensuring full enforcement of the Constitution and speeding up public health legislation are prioritized tasks of the top legislature this year, according to a draft work report unveiled on Monday.

"Remaining committed to upholding law-based governance in Hong Kong and Macao, we will work to safeguard constitutional order in the two special administrative regions as stipulated in China's Constitution and the basic laws, refine the system for interpreting the basic laws by the National People's Congress Standing Committee, and establish a sound legal system and effective enforcement mechanisms at the national level for safeguarding national security in the two regions," top legislator Li Zhanshu said in a work report to the third session of the 13th NPC.

Li, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, delivered the work report at the session's second plenary meeting. President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday afternoon.

A draft decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong SAR to safeguard national security was deliberated at the session.

"I am confident that through the joint efforts of all deputies, we'll be able to complete this important legislative task so as to provide a stronger legal guarantee for safeguarding our nation's sovereignty, security and development interests as well as ensuring Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability," Li said.

He also said the top legislature will uphold the one-China principle, resolutely oppose and restrict separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence", and promote the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations on the basis of the 1992 Consensus.

Other work related to enforcement of the Constitution includes making a better interpretation of the Constitution, making progress in constitutional compliance inspection and promoting of public awareness of the Constitution, the report said.

Facing a challenging and complex international environment as well as formidable domestic development tasks, the top legislature has a busy legislative agenda this year.

NATION WELL-PLACED TO MEET MODERN CHALLENGES

A centralized political system such as China's may be better equipped than Western liberal democracies to meet the challenges of the 21st century, according to leading experts.

Responding to the novel coronavirus pandemic, tackling climate change and advancing technology, along with other challenges, require the huge mobilization of resources that a centrally planned economy working effectively and efficiently might be best able to achieve. However, this is not accomplished by standing still.

As Beijing hosts the annual two sessions, improving the operation of the governance system is high on the agenda.

A program of national governance modernization was set in place at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee in October.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made clear the challenge when he set out the session's agenda.

"What we need to do now is to advance the modernization of China's system and capacity for governance in the practice of upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics," he said.

Koh King Kee, president of the Centre for New Inclusive Asia, a leading Asian think tank based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said the pandemic has brought into focus the effectiveness of government systems around the world as never before.

"The World Health Organization and many international leaders have complimented China on its achievements in combating the coronavirus. China's centralized system has demonstrated its strength in being able to do this," he said.

Koh believes China is right to focus on improving its government system, and the two sessions provide it with an opportunity for reassessment.

It is the perfect forum for the Chinese government to assess, review and explain its performance to its people and the world, he said.

The October plenum focused on improving governance in a number of key areas. These included streamlining operation of the government structure, continued economic reform, making governance more people-centric, ensuring a social security safety net, improving the environment, and greater effectiveness of the rule of law.

It was made clear that the Party leadership would head the delivery of necessary reforms and coordinate the work of all government bodies.

The modernization drive is directed toward meeting landmark national goals over the next 30 years.

The first of these is to eliminate all forms of extreme poverty and become a moderately prosperous society by the end of this year, in time for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China in 2021. This is seen as China's system achieving maturity.

MATURE METROPOLITAN AREAS TO DRIVE FUTURE GROWTH

The central city-metropolitan area-urban agglomeration will be the main region driving China's socio-economic development in the future, the 21st Century Business Herald reported on Tuesday.

Based on such dimensions as economic expansion, industrial expansion, equitable delivery of public service, population expansion and transportation facilitation, the 21st Century Economic Research Institute jointly with the research institute under China Fortune Land Development assessed and ranked 30 metropolitan areas on economy driving capacity.

Beijing and Shanghai took the first and second spots in the metropolitan area ranking, followed by Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

The report said the relatively mature metropolitan areas have been formed around the four central cities.

These central cities have developed economy, industrial agglomeration, cost of living is relatively high, as well as people and industries are spreading to the surrounding area, and the city boundary has broken through administrative district apparently.

Moreover, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Changsha, Chongqing and Xi'an are following the first-tire cities to present the trend of external expansion on space and industries.

Currently, China has 28 cities with the urban population surpassing 3 million, and 45 cities' GDP exceeds 500 billion yuan.

In 2019, China's urbanization rate for the permanent resident population broke through 60 percent mark for the first time, meaning the country's urbanization process will turn to pursuit of high-quality from speed, plus central cities should disperse and transfer functions and industries to drive and support the surrounding cities and improve competitive power of the regional industrial clusters, said the 21st Century Business Herald, citing Ye Tanglin, executive deputy director of the Academy of Metropolis Economic and Social Development at Capital University of Economics and Business.

This year's Government Work Report emphasized that not only urbanization, including the central cities and urban agglomeration, should play a leading role at cultivating industries and creating jobs, but also expanding investments together with new infrastructure and major projects to boost consumption, benefit the people, facilitate structural adjustments and enhance the sustainability of growth.

LEGAL PROTECTIONS, SERVICES UPHELD DURING PANDEMIC

Chinese people and enterprises have been given strong legal protection and efficient legal services during the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak thanks to intensified efforts of the country's procuratorates and courts at all levels, according to work reports of the country's top court and top procuratorate.

On Monday, the two judicial authorities showed their determination to fight crime and illegal activities related to the COVID-19 pandemic through work reports delivered at the second plenary meeting of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's national legislature.

While pledging to continue safeguarding people's legitimate rights, both authorities said they would also continue to promote easier access to litigation and better services for enterprises.

From February to April, procuratorates at all levels approved the arrest of 3,751 people and took 2,521 of them to court for criminal charges related to the outbreak, Zhang Jun, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said while delivering the SPP work report.

"We quickly issued guidelines on cracking down on pandemic-related crimes, calling for harsher punishment for people disturbing prevention measures, harming medical workers and obstructing control work in border areas," Zhang said.

"The outbreak came unexpectedly, but the importance of fighting offenses by rule of law should always be highlighted," he said.

When suspects are infected with COVID-19, their medical treatment is guaranteed, while a lenient policy is adopted for those accused of minor crimes linked to pandemic control, he added.

According to the SPP work report, procuratorates across the country dismissed the arrest of 576 people and decided not to prosecute 117 people in accordance with the law.

With suspects taken to court, hearings have also been strengthened in the past few months. The work report of the Supreme People's Court showed that courts at all levels filed 6,328 pandemic-related cases, of which, 2,736 had been concluded.

By solving cases in a timely manner, courts nationwide supported the resumption of work and production for companies, especially the medium-sized and small ones, by issuing guidance and reducing people's burden in litigation by wide application of online platforms, according to Zhou Qiang, president of the SPC.

"The smart court system has played a bigger role in easing litigation during the outbreak," he said while delivering the SPC report at the third session of the 13th NPC.

GAMBLING TYCOON HO DIES AT 98

Hong Kong-Macao entrepreneur Stanley Ho Hung-sun passed away in Hong Kong on Tuesday afternoon at the age of 98, his family announced.

Ho died at around 1:00 pm local time at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, his daughter Pansy Ho Chiu-king said at a media briefing outside the hospital.

Born in Hong Kong in November, 1921, Ho served as a member of the Standing Committee of the ninth to 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Stanley Ho retired from his positions as chairman of Macao's gaming operator SJM Holdings in June 2018.

A red bronze horse-head statue was donated back by Ho Hung-sun and handed over to the National Cultural Heritage Administration in Beijing in November.

The statue appeared in the National Museum of China and joined a temporary exhibition on cultural relics that have been returned from overseas since 1949.

The newly returned horse-head red bronze statue was one of 12 decorative taps - in the form of 12 Chinese Zodiac Signs - which were set for a foundation in Xiyang Lou area (or Western Mansions), a group of Baroque architecture in the Old Summer Palace.

Ho spent HK$ 69.1 million ($8.8 million) to buy the statue during an auction in September 2007 and decided to donate it back to the mainland on 20th anniversary of Macao's return to China on Dec 20.

n 2003, Ho also donated the pig-head statue of the Old Summer Palace to the mainland. It is also being displayed at the National Museum of China at the same exhibition.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

How unfortunate and how narrowing a thing it is for a man to have wealth who makes a god of it instead of a servant. - Mark Twain