Special Report: NPC, CPPCC Annual Sessions 2008
BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- When the New York Times
applauded in 2005 the "Super Girl" TV show hosted by China Hunan Satellite TV,
which drew 40 million Chinese to vote for their favorite singers through mobile
phone text messages, as a prelude to "voting democracy," some believed the
American newspaper might have misinterpreted an entertainment event as a
political matter.
However, during this year's annual full sessions of
the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese
People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top legislature and
advisory body respectively, people find with surprise that mobile phones have
really got a role to play in promoting "democracy with Chinese characteristics."
"For several consecutive days, we were seeing a dozen
mobile phone messages coming in every second through our platform," said Ms. Xu,
a staff with China Mobile who asked to be identified only by her surname.
"Surprisingly, all the questions were addressed to Premier Wen Jiabao."
By Tuesday, a campaign called "Ask the Premier,"
jointly launched by Xinhuanet.com and China Mobile for their 100 million plus
mobile phone users, had collected over 250,000 short messages, a substantial
portion of which were from blue-collars, farmers, and students.
The Chinese government
encourages grass-root citizens to "orderly participate in politics" to expand
democracy, according to Beijing-based political observers. While delivering a
keynote report to the 17th National Congress of the ruling Communist Party of
China (CPC) last October, Chinese President Hu Jintao, also general-secretary of
the CPC Central Committee, stressed the necessity to "expand orderly
participation in politics through every level and in every field." For the first
time in history, safeguarding the people's "right to expression" was included in
the report to the Party Congress.
"Political democracy would not be possible without
the active participation of citizens in politics," said Beijing-based political
expert Yu Keping. As information and network technologies take great leaps
forward these days, mobile phone messages are becoming a new way for the Chinese
to participate in politics, in addition to the traditional way of direct voting
at grass-root level.
Top political advisor visits
journalists who cover "two sessions"
 |
|
Accompanied by Wang Gang (3rd from
left), Jia Qinglin(L), member of the Standing Committee of the Communist
Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau and presider
of the meetings of the CPPCC session's presidium,
visits NPC and CPPCC Annual Sessions news reporting center of Xinhua
News Agency on March 9. (Xinhua Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor
Jia Qinglin on Sunday urged the country's media to "vividly showcase the vigor
of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics" in their reports when
visiting journalists who are covering the on-going "two sessions".
At around 11 a.m., Jia, chairman of the National Committee
of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), visited
Xinhua's news room for the annual sessions of the CPPCC National Committee and
the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in central
Beijing, where the sessions are convened. Full story
Netizens say gov't report faces
problems squarely
BEIJING, March 6 (Xinhua) -- "It is a report facing
problems squarely," a netizen wrote on the China Central Television (CCTV)
website on Thursday.
Premier Wen Jiabao's government work report was delivered
at the First Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC). Now it is
receiving comments from more than 200 million Chinese netizens. Full story
Chinese foreign minister meets journalists
 |
|
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (C) answers questions during a press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 12, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)
Photo Gallery>>> |
 |
|
Journalists prepare prior to Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's meeting with the press at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 11, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)
Photo Gallery>>> |
