20th CPC Central Committee to hold 2nd plenary session

BEIJING -- The second plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee will be held from Feb. 26 to 28 in Beijing, according to a decision made at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Tuesday.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting.

The meeting discussed a work report of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to the CPC Central Committee.

Also discussed at the meeting was a draft plan for the reform of Party and state institutions, and it was decided that the plan will be revised according to the opinions pooled at the meeting and be submitted to the upcoming plenary session for deliberation.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has been making the reform of Party and state institutions a significant task in the drive to modernize the country's system and capacity for governance, according to the meeting.

Party and state institutions have been reformed to achieve a systematic and thorough restructuring of their functions, the meeting noted, stressing that the reform has provided a strong guarantee for achieving historic achievements and changes in the cause of the Party and the country and accumulated precious experience for further reform of Party and state institutions.

At the 20th CPC National Congress, important plans were made for deepening the reform of Party and state institutions, the meeting stressed.

It underscored efforts to ensure that the Party's leadership over socialist modernization becomes more refined in institutional setup, more optimized in the division of functions, more improved in institutions and mechanisms, and more efficient in operation and management.

The meeting discussed a list of proposed candidates for the leading positions of state institutions to be recommended to the first session of the 14th National People's Congress, and a list of proposed candidates for the leadership of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee to be recommended to the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee.

The work report, the draft reform plan and the proposed candidates' lists will be on the agenda at the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, according to the meeting.

The meeting also discussed a draft report on the work of the government, which the State Council will submit to the forthcoming first session of the 14th National People's Congress for deliberation.

Last year was extremely important in the history of both the CPC and the country, the meeting said, noting that the 20th CPC National Congress was successfully convened, drawing up a grand blueprint for building a modern socialist country in all respects, and overall economic and social stability was maintained.

The past five years have been unusual and extraordinary, it said. The country has efficiently coordinated the COVID-19 response with economic and social development, won the critical battle against poverty, and completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects on schedule, it added.

Noting that 2023 is the first year for fully implementing the guiding principles from the 20th CPC National Congress, the meeting urged solid steps to advance Chinese modernization in accordance with arrangements laid out at the Central Economic Work Conference.

It called for efforts to push for an overall improvement in the economy, improve both the quality and quantity of the economy, further improve people's livelihoods, and maintain social stability to make a good start in the country's journey toward the goal of building a modern socialist country in all respects.

Underlining the importance of fully implementing the decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee, the meeting called for efforts to make economic stability a top priority, pursue progress while ensuring stability, and implement a proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy.

The meeting urged redoubling efforts to expand domestic demand, attract and utilize foreign investment, and fulfill the targets and tasks for economic and social development this year.

The government's efforts to strengthen itself must be stepped up, and the practice of conducting research should be encouraged, according to the meeting.