20th CPC Central Committee to hold second plenary session

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.

At the meeting, the Political Bureau’s work report to the CPC Central Committee was discussed.

The Political Bureau discussed the draft plan on reform of Party and state institutions, and decided that the draft plan, after being revised in accordance with the opinions put forward at the meeting, will be submitted to the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee for review.

It was pointed out at the meeting that since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has made deepening the reform of Party and state institutions an important task in modernizing China’s system and capacity for governance. It has comprehensively deepened the reform of Party and state institutions in accordance with the principles of upholding the Party’s overall leadership, maintaining a people-centered philosophy, stressing optimization, coordination and high efficiency, and exercising law-based governance on all fronts. As a result, the functions of Party and state institutions have been transformed in a systematic and holistic manner, which have provided a strong guarantee for the Party and the country to make historic achievements and see historic changes in the pursuit of the cause of the Party and the country. Valuable experience has also been accumulated in this process for further deepening the reform of Party and state institutions.

It was stressed at the meeting that the 20th CPC National Congress has made important arrangements for deepening the reform of Party and state institutions, which is of great and far-reaching significance to building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. We must uphold Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the overarching guide, consider strengthening the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee as the pivot, and regard promoting the modernization of the national system and capacity for governance as the orientation. We must adhere to the general principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, adapt to the requirements for the coordinated implementation of the five-sphere integrated plan and the four-pronged comprehensive strategy, and adapt to the needs for building a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development. We must adopt a problem-oriented approach, coordinate the institutions of the CPC Central Committee, the National People’s Congress (NPC), the State Council, and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and coordinate the central and local authorities. We must deepen institutional reform in key areas to make the Party’s leadership over socialist modernization more sound in institutional setup, more optimized in functional allocation, more refined in institutional mechanisms, and more efficient in operational management.

The meeting discussed candidates for the leading positions of state institutions to be recommended to the first session of the 14th NPC and candidates for the leadership of the national committee of the CPPCC to be recommended to the first session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC.

It was decided at the meeting that the aforementioned content will be on the agenda of the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

The draft report on the work of the government, which will be submitted by the State Council to the first session of the 14th NPC for deliberation, was discussed at the meeting.

It was agreed at the meeting that 2022 represents a year of historic significance to the Party and our country. The 20th CPC National Congress was successfully held, and a grand blueprint was drawn up at the congress for building a modern socialist country in all respects.

The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has brought together the Chinese people of all ethnic groups and led them in meeting obstacles and difficulties head on to implement the requirements that COVID-19 must be contained, economic growth be stabilized and development safe, making greater efforts in macro regulation, and securing overall stability in social and economic development.

The past five years have been truly momentous and extraordinary. We have responded effectively to difficulties, risks and challenges, efficiently coordinated COVID-19 response with socioeconomic development, eradicated absolute poverty and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects as scheduled, achieving impressive advances in the country’s economic and social development.

It was stressed at the meeting that this year marks the first year of implementing the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress. For the government to deliver, we must, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress.

In line with the arrangements made at the Central Economic Work Conference, we should solidly advance Chinese modernization, adhere to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, accelerate the efforts to foster a new development pattern and focus on promoting high-quality development. We should also better balance domestic circumstances with international situation, coordinate epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development, and development with security imperatives. We should comprehensively deepen reform and opening up, boost market confidence, integrate the implementation of strategy to expand domestic demand with the efforts to deepen supply-side structural reform, give priority to the work of ensuring steady growth, employment, and stable prices, effectively forestall and defuse major risks, promote the overall improvement in economic work to achieve both qualitative and quantitative growth, so as to keep improving people’s livelihood, ensure overall social stability and make a good start on building a modern socialist country in all respects.

It was stressed at the meeting that it is imperative to fully implement the decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee, pursue progress while ensuring stability, implement proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy, strengthen policy coordination, and form a synergy to promote high-quality development.

Efforts should be made to expand domestic demand, speed up the establishment of a modern industrial system, and effectively implement the policy that the public sector must be unswervingly consolidated and developed and the development of the non-public sector must be unswervingly encouraged, supported and guided. Efforts should be intensified to attract and utilize foreign investment, effectively forestall and defuse major economic and financial risks, stabilize food production and promote rural revitalization, boost the green transformation of development models, guarantee basic livelihood and develop social undertakings, and strive to accomplish this year’s goals and tasks of economic and social development.

The government must intensify its self-improvement efforts and vigorously conduct research and study.

Other issues were also discussed at the meeting.