XI EMPHASIZES 'PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST' IN GOVERNANCE

"People" has become a key word in Xi's everyday work since he became general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in 2012. He said on various occasions that "the people's desire for a better life is the goal we strive to realize".

While taking part in a deliberation with NPC deputies from the delegation of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Friday, Xi particularly stressed adhering to "people first" in coordinating epidemic control and economic and social development.

Xi mentioned a story told by another NPC deputy from Hubei, Luo Jie−president of Taihe Hospital in the city of Shiyan−who told reporters how medical workers in his hospital spent 47 days saving an 87-year-old COVID-19 patient.

"About 10 medical workers meticulously took care of the patient for dozens of days, and finally saved the patient's life," he said. "I am really impressed."

Amid the spread of COVID-19, the CPC has, from the very beginning, stated clearly that people's lives and health are the top priority.

"We mobilized from around the nation the best doctors, the most advanced equipment and the most needed resources to send to Hubei and Wuhan, going all out to save lives," Xi said during the deliberations, adding that the oldest patient to be successfully treated is 108.

"We are willing to save lives at all costs. No matter how old the patients are and how serious their conditions have become, we never give up," he said.

In Hubei alone, more than 3,600 COVID-19 patients over the age of 80 have recovered thanks to medical care. In Wuhan, seven centenarian patients have recovered.

Xi, while talking to NPC deputies from Inner Mongolia, also called for wholehearted efforts to solve problems that concern people's immediate interests, including healthcare, housing, elderly care and food safety.

He said the ultimate goal for advancing socioeconomic development is to meet people's increasing needs for a better life.

Xi urged Party and government officials to have a correct perspective on political achievements and prudently exercise the power that people grant to them. He called for firm efforts to combat corruption and oppose the practice of formalism and bureaucracy.

The Party's long-term governance rests on always maintaining a close bond with the people, Xi told the NPC deputies, and "we must always remain true to our aspiration and work in concert with the people through thick and thin".

CPPCC KEEPS FOCUS ON SATISFYING PEOPLE'S NEEDS FOR A BETTER LIFE

The 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, the country's top political advisory body, concluded its postponed and greatly shortened annual session on Wednesday.

Usually, the CPPCC National Committee's annual session lasts around 10 days, but this year, with impressive efficiency, the national political advisory body drastically condensed its agenda and completed its work in seven days.

Despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and rigid social-distancing rules, the vigorous CPPCC discourse has maintained its focus on vital issues of most concerns to the people. But judging from what has been heard from their meetings, the representatives have been as dedicated as usual in fulfilling their advisory roles.

They have called for reinforcing the country's epidemic early warning and response mechanisms; reiterated the pressing need to cope with the potential negative impacts of the disrupted global industrial supply chains; and stressed the importance of the decision not to extend poverty-elimination deadline. They offered straightforward assessments of the country's outstanding weaknesses as well as urging technological self-reliance.

The greatly shortened schedule and reduced media coverage have kept some of their concerns and opinions worth broader audiences from the limelight they deserve. But what is clear is that their discussions focused on addressing people's concerns, and their proposals and suggestions are aimed at enhancing the people's sense of gain, well-being and happiness.

This meeting was held at a critical moment for the overall promotion of epidemic prevention and control, and economic and social development. While some annual routines can wait until the political advisers meet next year, matters like these can't.

As the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have peaked in most major countries, and many countries are itching to open a post-pandemic chapter, the country can't afford entering that brand new stage unprepared. Especially since many of the changes in a post-COVID-19 world may have to do with this country.

During the session, President Xi Jinping visited the members of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC and participated in a joint group meeting, focusing on major issues and pointing out the direction for the CPPCC members to perform their duties and responsibilities.

SECURITY LAW TO AID CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG

The proposed legislation on national security for Hong Kong will boost global investors' confidence and buttress the city's status as an international financial center, business tycoons in Hong Kong said on Wednesday.

They believed the legislation will create a more favorable business and social environment.

The city's iconic billionaire Li Ka-shing said every country is duty-bound to protect its national security, and therefore people shouldn't read too much into the rationale behind this national security legislation.

The 91-year-old property magnate expects the move to have a positive effect on Hong Kong's long-term stable development and ease the central government's concerns about the city's situation.

Li said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government must bear the responsibility to strengthen Hong Kong people's confidence in "one country, two systems "and gain the trust of the international community.

The planned law, currently under deliberation by the National People's Congress−the nation's top legislature−will outlaw acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and conspiracy with external forces in Hong Kong.

ADVISERS MUST KEEP STRATEGIC VISION IN MIND

Political advisory bodies nationwide should be an important channel for building consensus and resolving conflicts, and play a better role in China's governance system, the country's top political adviser said on Wednesday in Beijing as the annual session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference ended.

Wang Yang, chairman of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC, called on all political advisers to keep in mind the overall strategic vision of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and major changes in the world so that their proposals can better contribute to the undertakings of the Communist Party of China and the State.

He made the remarks in a speech to about 2,000 national political advisers at the closing meeting of the third session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee. President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the meeting.

Wang said the weeklong session was held at an important point, as China's COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control efforts have achieved major strategic results and the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects has entered a decisive stage.

During this session, all advisers have actively made proposals and consolidated a consensus focusing on normalizing epidemic prevention and control, promoting economic and social development and realizing the goals and tasks of winning the decisive battle of poverty alleviation, he said.

Wang urged the members to further improve their ability to perform their duties. Political advisers should further grasp consultation methods, make good use of the internet, big data and other modern methods to make their proposals more forward-looking and accurate and be more targeted and effective in consensus building, he said.

Wang stressed the role of the CPPCC in Chinese-style democracy. "Taking advantage of socialist consultative democracy, the CPPCC can effectively organize all political parties, different ethnic groups and people of all walks of life to make suggestions and build consensus, which is conducive to integrating adherence to CPC leadership with multiparty cooperation," he said.

Participants at the closing meeting approved a resolution on a work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, a report on the examination of proposals and a political resolution on the annual session.

During the second session of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC last year, 5,488 proposals were submitted and 4,089 of them were accepted for deliberation.

POVERTY ALLEVIATION A HIGH PRIORITY FOR TWO SESSIONS

One topic has been mentioned every time President Xi Jinping has joined a panel discussion during the ongoing two sessions: poverty alleviation.

He reaffirmed the CPC's solemn promise to lift all of the country's poor people out of poverty by the end of this year when speaking with political advisers from the economic sector. He highlighted efforts to consolidate and expand the progress in using industrial development and employment as poverty alleviation methods when talking with national lawmakers from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. He instructed local officials to work hard to fulfill the poverty elimination goal when meeting national lawmakers from Hubei. He asked the military to support poverty relief when attending a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police Force.

Poverty alleviation has always been one of President Xi's big concerns.

A short time after becoming chief of the Communist Party of China in late 2012, he launched a nationwide campaign to eradicate absolute poverty, the threshold required for a society to boost itself to relatively high living standards.

"To lead the people to a better life is our goal. Not a single ethnic group, family or person should be left behind in the process of finishing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects," Xi said.

In 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed the idea of a targeted poverty alleviation plan for the first time during an inspection tour of Shibadong village in Hunan province.

Under the targeted relief campaign, officials are forbidden from merely handing out relief funds without finding ways of attaining sustainable incomes.

"Poverty alleviation plans should be made based on real situations," Xi said. "It should be targeted at specific groups in specific situations and should avoid using loud slogans."

Since the CPC's 18th National Congress, he has visited more than 20 impoverished villages, chaired meetings on poverty reduction, and written letters to primary level officials and residents to encourage them on poverty relief work.

The number of those living in poverty declined from 98.99 million in 2012 to 5.51 million by the end of last year.

DEBUT OF NEW CARRIER ROCKET BEING PLANNED

China has developed and launched several new-generation carrier rockets over the past five years, ranging from the small, solid-propellant Smart Dragon 1 to the colossal heavy-lift Long March 5. Now scientists are preparing for the debut mission of a new model−the Long March 8.

The Long March 8 will improve China's launch capability for sun-synchronous orbit and will also boost the nation's commercial space industry, said Bao Weimin, director of science and technology at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"The rocket is expected to fill a gap in our rocket fleet because we don't have a suitable model to send a satellite weighing from 3 to 4.5 metric tons into sun-synchronous orbit. It can also be used for missions to low-Earth and geostationary transfer orbits," he told China Daily in a recent interview on the sidelines of the third session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which held its closing meeting on Wednesday in Beijing.

The scientist is a member of the CPPCC National Committee, China's top political advisory body.

The rocket will mainly satisfy commercial launch needs in domestic and international markets, he said, predicting that it will likely conduct 10 to 20 launches annually after it goes into service.

In China, more private companies have begun designing and building satellites, which consequently generates a huge demand for commercial launch services.

According to designers at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, a leading carrier rocket developer in China and a subsidiary of Bao's company, the medium-lift Long March 8 has a modular design and incorporates technologies that have been used by the Long March 3A and Long March 7.

With two core stages and two boosters, the rocket is 50.3 meters tall, has a liftoff weight of about 356 tons, and is propelled by liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and kerosene. Its core stages are basically identical to those used by the Long March 7 and Long March 3A.

It can transport a 5-ton spacecraft to a sun-synchronous orbit 700 kilometers above Earth, designers said. Launches will be conducted at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert and Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province.

Long Lehao, a top rocket scientist at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, previously said the first stage and boosters of the Long March 8 will be recovered and reused.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers. - Mignon McLaughlin