Fruitful Theoretical and Practical Innovations of the People's Congress System

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core has pursued a strategy of national rejuvenation amid global changes of a magnitude not seen in a century. From the strategic perspective of upholding and improving the CPC's leadership and consolidating and developing the socialist system, it has continuously promoted theoretical and practical innovations in the people's congress system, putting forward a series of new ideas, new thinking, and new requirements that form the basis for Xi Jinping's thought on upholding and improving the people's congress system. 

In this regard, President Xi has stressed the following: People’s congresses must uphold the CPC's leadership; use institutions and systems to guarantee that the people run the country; advance law-based governance; adhere to democratic centralism; stay on the path of socialist political advancement with Chinese characteristics; continue to modernize China’s system and capacity for governance; give full play to the roles of deputies to people’s congresses; and strengthen the development of people's congresses at all levels. Such development should be based on the requirement that people’s congresses must serve as political institutions that consciously uphold the CPC's leadership, institutions of state power that ensure the running of the country by the people, working institutions that fully assume the functions conferred by the Constitution and the law, and representative institutions that always maintain close ties with the people. 

These requirements, known as the "eight essentials," represent an enrichment and elaboration of the "six essentials" put forward by President Xi at the Central People’s Congress Work Conference in 2012. They are seamlessly interconnected and constitute the core tenets of Xi Jinping's thought on upholding and improving the people's congress system. They make clear the direction, principles, and rationale underpinning the development of the people's congress system and the work of people's congresses. 

For us to uphold, improve, and implement the people's congress system to good effect, it is crucial to ensure unity between leadership by the CPC, the running of the country by the people, and law-based governance. 

The people's congress system is an important institutional vehicle for the Party's leadership over the organs of state power, and its primary task is to resolutely uphold the CPC Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership, and ensure that our Party's theories, guidelines, principles, policies, decisions, and plans are fully and effectively implemented through the work of the state. 

The people's congress system is not only an important means for ensuring that the Chinese people run the country, but also the highest form through which this is realized. Adhering to the principle that all power of the state belongs to the people, we must support and ensure the people's exercise of state power through people's congresses and ensure that all state organs are responsible to the people, serve the people, and are subject to their oversight. 

The people's congress system is also an important institutional platform for law-based governance. To develop a system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics and build a socialist nation under the rule of law, we must advance sound legislation, strict law enforcement, impartial administration of justice, and society-wide observance of the law and ensure that all work of the state is carried out under the rule of law. 

Editor: Zhang Xian