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First, we strived to ensure that the consensus achieved between Chinese and foreign leaders is upheld, and worked to consolidate and enhance mutual political trust and foster mutual respect of each other's core interests and major concerns, thus strengthening the political basis for the development of China's relations with these countries.
Second, we worked to promote mutually beneficial practical cooperation with other countries across various fields. We helped increase the complementarity between the development strategies of China and other countries concerned in the Belt and Road Initiative, and urged the parliaments of these countries to provide legal guarantees and favorable policy environments for bilateral pragmatic cooperation and personnel exchange.
Third, in working to serve China's development strategy and the development of its democracy and rule of law, we strengthened international exchanges on the topic of state governance, learned from other countries' legislative experiences, and stepped up our work of explaining China's major legislative items to the outside world.
Fourth, by telling stories of China well and spreading Chinese visions, experience, and approaches, we have been able to see better understanding and wider recognition of China's development path and foreign and domestic policies in the international community.
Fifth, in responding to false statements and inappropriate actions by certain countries regarding the Taiwan question and issues concerning Tibet and the South China Sea, we resolutely safeguarded China's sovereignty, security, and developmental interests by issuing statements, engaging talks, and taking other actions.
Ratifying treaties and agreements concluded with foreign countries is a legally mandated duty of the NPC Standing Committee. The Paris Agreement has been the most important achievement of the multilateral efforts to address climate change in recent years. We deliberated and ratified this agreement, which demonstrates China's willingness to shoulder its responsibilities as a large developing country and enables China to play an even bigger role in multilateral initiatives on climate change.
7. We intensified self-improvement efforts.
We have continuously given top priority to improving our thinking and theoretical competence, held firm to ideals and convictions, stayed confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of Chinese socialism, and strengthened our sense of responsibility and mission. We threw ourselves into the Party-wide drive to help Party members better meet Party standards by studying the Party Constitution, Party regulations, and General Secretary Xi Jinping's policy addresses, and consciously equipped ourselves with the latest achievements in adapting Marxism to Chinese conditions and used them to guide our practice and advance our work.
We successfully organized Standing Committee seminars and strived to improve our capability for better performing our duties in accordance with the law. We strived to meet the requirements related to ensuring strict Party self-governance in every respect; made solid progress in improving Party conduct, promoting integrity, and fighting corruption; strictly implemented the Party Central Committee's eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct; and continued to improve our work style. We improved the system for reporting attendance of meetings, and worked hard to raise the quality of deliberation. Administrative bodies of the Standing Committee and special committees willingly accepted the special inspection and oversight by the central discipline inspection team and conscientiously worked to rectify problems identified in the inspection, thus improving themselves and their work in all respects.
We strengthened leadership over the work of special committees and stressed the need for them to fulfill their crucial role. Special committees earnestly carried out their legally mandated duties and did a great deal of productive work, such as taking the lead in organizing the drafting of major legislative items, organizing inspections of compliance with laws, and carrying out in-depth research and studies. The Leading Party Members' Group of the Standing Committee set up branch groups in special committees to strengthen their work in relation to Party building. Fellow Deputies,
The Standing Committee's achievements this past year have been made under the sound leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. They are the result of the careful, diligent, and hard work of all NPC deputies, members of the NPC Standing Committee and special committees, and the staff of the administrative bodies of the Standing Committee and special committees; the close coordination and cooperation of the State Council, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and local people's congresses at all levels and their standing committees; and the full trust and great support of the entire Chinese people. On behalf of the Standing Committee, I would like to express our highest respect for and sincere gratitude to them all.
In reviewing what we achieved over the past year, we are keenly aware that the work of the Standing Committee still has room for improvement. We still need to make legislation more targeted and effective under the new circumstances, where legislation initiatives are growing in number and the pace of and requirements for legislation are increasing. We need to increase the intensity and improve the methods of our oversight work to address the prominent problems of non-compliance with laws, lax law enforcement, and failure to prosecute violations of the law. We need to see better communication between the Standing Committee and deputies and between deputies and the public, and improve the thinking and work style of deputies and members of the Standing Committee. We must take these problems seriously and strive to improve our work in all respects by listening to comments and suggestions from deputies and all sectors of society with an open mind and willingly accepting their oversight.
Major Tasks for This Year
In 2017, the Communist Party of China will convene its 19th National Congress, the most important political event of the year for the Party and the country and an event of far-reaching significance. 2017 is also an important year for the implementation of China's 13th Five-Year Plan and for the country's advancement toward finishing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. It is therefore extremely important that the NPC accomplishes all of its work for the year well.
The overall requirements for the work of the NPC Standing Committee this year are as follows:
-- Uphold the firm leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core
-- Implement fully the guidelines from the 18th National Party Congress and those of the third through sixth plenary sessions of the 18th Party Central Committee
-- Take as our guide Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development
-- Fully grasp and put into practice the principles from General Secretary Xi Jinping's major addresses and his new vision, thinking, and strategies for the governance of China
-- Remain committed to the underlying principle of making progress while keeping performance stable
-- Safeguard the authority of the Constitution and other laws
-- Strengthen legislation in key areas, with the focus on raising the quality of legislation
-- Deliver proper and effective oversight
-- Support and ensure deputies' law-based performance of their duties
-- Ensure successful accomplishment of all the work of the current NPC and its Standing Committee
-- Greet the convocation of the 19th National Party Congress with great achievements
This year, we will ensure fulfillment of the following tasks. (more)
