At the first discussion panel following the opening of the Third Session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on March 3, attendees applauded the new format.

The symposium has been considered an important feature of the CPPCC National Committee since it was first held in October 2013.

Each session focuses on a particular issue, and participants from various fields and backgrounds—mainly from non-Communist parties or those without party affiliation—are invited to discuss and propose ideas closely related to the fundamental interest of the Party, country and people.

Wang Ming, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and also a professor from the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University, was invited to three biweekly discussion panels on vehicle emission control, manufacturing safety and the role of social organization last year.

“These are small topics, but they are concrete, professional and practicable,” Wang noted, adding that the biweekly consultation session has had a significant impact on policymaking.
 

According to government sources, some issues discussed at the symposium are already being considered as subjects of possible legislation in the future.
 

Chinese political advisors hosted 21 biweekly consultation symposiums in 2014, covering a series of issues, such as the rights of persons with disabilities, protection of traditional villages amid urbanization, construction workers’ rights, "co-processing" waste from cement kilns and construction of the Silk Road economic zone.
 

The symposiums invite not only scholars who work on these issues, but also the related government authorities who will handle the proposals, making the democratic mechanism more efficient.
 

The biweekly consultation symposium carries on and promotes the CPPCC National Committee’s fine traditions of democratic consultation.

Members said that the symposium is a consultation platform for exchanging ideas, promoting mutual understanding, coordinating relations and uniting hearts and strengths among representatives from all sectors of society.

 

Huo Wenqi is a reporter from Chinese Social Sciences Today.