China's top political advisory body has opened its annual session in Beijing. The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, or CPPCC, is part of China's system of socialist democratic politics. Promoting sustainable economic growth and continuing to improve people's livelihoods are at the top of the agenda for the conference.

The beginning of China's annual political season. More than two-thousand CPPCC members gathered at the Great Hall of the People, kicking off an annual round of brainstorming on China's future development. The economy has always taken center stage.

China's economic recovery appears to be firmly on track, with GDP growth having returned to double-digits during the fourth quarter of 2009. This comes after a year of battling against the worst global financial crisis in decades.

Top political advisor, Jia Qinglin, outlined what the CPPCC had done to help the country offset the impact of the crisis.

Jia said, "Members of the CPPCC National Committee proposed that we should continue to push our proactive fiscal policy and our moderately easy monetary policy to achieve their full effect. They also suggested that we should strive to boost domestic demand while keeping foreign demand stable. We should provide more support to science and technology, vigorously develop cultural and creative industries, and actively nurture strategic emerging industries."

Over the past years, the CPPCC has raised numerous policy suggestions. Some have gone on to be adopted.

The secretariat of this session received 360 proposals and over 350 written statements from political advisors as of Tuesday noon.

Many touch on hot topics such as the country's fledgling economy, rising house prices, and grave unemployment.

Jia Qinglin said that 2010 would be a crucial year for China to respond to the impact of the financial crisis and maintain steady and rapid economic development.

He added that it is also an important year for the CPPCC to develop in its own role.

Jia said, "We will improve our system of regular work. This will include areas such as making proposals, conducting investigations and studies, giving speeches at meetings, and reporting social conditions and popular sentiment. We will also establish work mechanisms for comprehensive coordination, communication of information, evaluation of performance, and supervision of implementation. We will strive to set up a scientific, effective, and well-structured institutional system, with complete content and functions."

Party and state leaders Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo and Wen Jiabao are attending the meeting.

The CPPCC brings together the governing Communist Party, the non-Communist parties, and people with no party affiliation, to discuss state affairs.

Less than 40 percent of the members belong to the CPC. The more than two-thousand representatives come from all social sectors.

As usual, this year's CPPCC session is being held two days ahead of the plenum of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislative body.

(CCTV March 4, 2010)