1) We will focus on transforming the pattern of economic development, and strengthen oversight of economic work. Since the policy of reform and opening up was first implemented, China has made tremendous achievements in economic and social development that have attracted worldwide attention. At the same time, China displays the traits of the new stage of social and economic development. Against the backdrop of the global financial crisis, the existing pattern of economic development is clearly unsuitable; therefore, accelerating its transformation has become an inherent requirement for ensuring sustainable economic development and social harmony and stability. Based on China's particular conditions, at its 17th National Congress, the Party thoroughly analyzed the domestic and international situations we faced, and took accelerating the transformation of the pattern of economic development and improving and upgrading the industrial structure as urgent and major strategic tasks that have an overall bearing on the national economy. It clearly stated that to promote economic growth, we must shift from relying mainly on investment and exports to relying on a coordinated combination of consumption, investment, and exports; from relying on secondary industry as the major driving force to relying on primary, secondary, and tertiary industries to jointly drive economic growth; and from relying heavily on increased consumption of materials and resources to relying mainly on advances in science and technology, a better quality of the workforce, and innovation in management. That issue was emphasized again at the Central Economic Work Conference in 2009. Accelerating the transformation of the pattern of economic development and improving and upgrading the industrial structure are important objectives and strategic measures for implementing the Scientific Outlook on Development, as well as major tasks of this year's economic work. The NPC Standing Committee needs to carry out its oversight of economic work focusing on this theme, strive to intimately integrate maintaining steady and rapid economic development with accelerating the transformation of the pattern of economic development, promote transformation in the course of development, and work for development in the course of transformation.

First, by listening to and deliberating the State Council's reports on the implementation of the plan for the first half of 2010 and the implementation of the central budget for the same period, the reports on the Central Government final budget and the auditing work for 2009, and examining and approving the final budget for 2009, we will urge the implementation of a proactive fiscal policy, a moderately easy monetary policy, and other macro-control policies; check compliance with the requirements to boost consumer demand, actively yet prudently press ahead with urbanization, make basic public services more equal and guide the orderly relocation of industries; and promote steady and rapid economic development.

Second, by listening to and deliberating the State Council's reports on the development of the service sector and the culture industry, we will urge the implementation of policies and measures for supporting the development of emerging industries, promote restructuring, and foster new areas of economic growth.

Third, by checking compliance with the Law on Energy Conservation and the Law on the Promotion of Cleaner Production, we will promote the implementation of the Resolution of the NPC Standing Committee on Addressing Climate Change and relevant laws; encourage key industries to carry out technological upgrading aimed at conserving energy, reducing its consumption and developing the circular economy; and improve and upgrade traditional industries, to ensure that the targets for conserving energy and reducing emissions set forth in the Outline of the 11th Five-Year Plan are met on schedule.

Fourth, by checking compliance with the Law on Scientific and Technological Progress, we will help improve the scientific and technological innovation system based on the combined efforts of enterprises, universities and research institutes, increase our independent innovation capacity, and promote the application of scientific and technological advances in production.

Fifth, by listening to and deliberating the State Council's report on national food security and inspecting compliance with the Law on Popularization of Agricultural Technology, we will promote the implementation of policies to support and benefit agriculture, rural areas, and farmers; strengthen agricultural and rural infrastructure; accelerate the development of modern agriculture; oversee and inspect the implementation of the plan for increasing grain production capacity by 50 million tons nationwide and the completion of the task to reinforce the country's dilapidated large reservoirs; promote the building of a new socialist countryside; and ensure stable and increasing agricultural production and as well as steady income increases for farmers.

Sixth, focusing on relevant special topics, we will continue to carry out follow-up investigations and studies on the implementation of the Central Government's investment plan, and urge relevant departments to carefully study and handle the suggestions contained in the Standing Committee's reports on these investigations and studies and the comments put forward by Standing Committee members during their deliberation to promote the smooth progress of major investment projects of the Central Government.

Seventh, by inspecting compliance with the Law on the Protection of Investments by Compatriots from Taiwan, we will strengthen protection of the legitimate rights and interests of Taiwan investors on the mainland.

2) We will focus on promoting social harmony and stability, and strengthen oversight of the work to solve problems affecting people's wellbeing. Since the policy of reform and opening up was first implemented, not only has China experienced sustained and rapid economic growth but people's wellbeing has have improved considerably, and there has been a long period of social and political stability. Nevertheless, we must recognize that China is still in the primary stage of socialism and will remain so for a long time, and the principal problem in Chinese society is between the ever-growing material and cultural needs of the people and our backward social production. At present, Chinese society is generally harmonious, but there are a number of disparities that affect social harmony, and there are relatively serious problems in employment, social security, income distribution, education, medical care, housing, workplace safety and public security that concern the immediate interests of the people. It has been explicitly stated at the 16th National Party Congress, the Sixth Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee, and the 17th National Party Congress that we must move faster to build a harmonious society, with the focus on improving people's wellbeing, and strive to ensure that all our people enjoy the rights to education, employment, medical treatment, old-age care, and housing. Ensuring and improving people's wellbeing is an essential requirement for applying the Scientific Outlook on Development and a priority for our economic and social development this year. The NPC Standing Committee needs to focus on solving the most practical problems of the utmost and immediate concern to the people and urge relevant authorities to correctly handle the relationship between economic development and people's wellbeing; always put people first, strive to solve social problems and develop social programs; improve public administration and services; promote social equality and justice; foster a culture of harmony; and coordinate social development with economic, political, cultural and ecological development.

First, by listening to and deliberating the State Council's report on deepening reform of the medical and health care system, we will inspect progress of the implementation of recent key reforms; press ahead with the development of the basic medical care system, national basic drug system, and basic medical and health care service system; and promote equal access to basic public healthcare services and the pilot reform of public hospitals.

Second, by listening to and deliberating the State Council's report on diverting the rural labor force and safeguarding the rights and interests of rural migrant workers, we will help solve major problems rural migrant workers have concerning wages, working conditions, training, basic old-age and medical care insurance, workers' compensation, and schooling for their children. We will also inspect the progress in bringing rural migrant workers into the urban public service system.

Third, by inspecting compliance with the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women, we will help solve problems women have concerning equal employment, equal remuneration for work of equal value, land-related rights and interests, workplace safety, health and retirement protection; and facilitate better implementation of the basic state policy of equality of men and women.

Fourth, by listening to and deliberating the State Council's report on the economic and social development of ethnic minorities and ethnic minority areas, we will urge the relevant authorities to implement the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy and the policies and measures of the central leadership to accelerate economic and social development in Tibet, Xinjiang and other ethnic minority areas, particularly the new policies and measures of the central leadership to support the development of Tibet, Tibetan ethnic areas in four provinces, and Xinjiang and further solidify and develop the socialist ethnic relations of equality, unity, mutual assistance and harmony.

Fifth, by listening to and deliberating the report by the Supreme People's Court on the work of civil trials and the report by the Supreme People's Procuratorate on the work of improving procuratorial work concerning the dereliction of duty and infringements of rights, we will help courts and procuratorates constantly improve their work, and safeguard judicial impartiality, social equality, and justice.

Sixth, by listening to and deliberating the State Council's report on strengthening road traffic safety management, we will promote implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law, urge relevant authorities to improve the system of accountability for road traffic safety management, and promote civilized and standardized law enforcement. We will also inspect the implementation of compulsory third-party liability insurance for motor vehicles and the arrangements for social assistance funds for victims of road traffic accidents.

3) We will focus on making oversight more effective, and further improve oversight methods. Oversight powers are important powers granted to people's congresses by the Constitution and laws. Oversight by people's congresses carries the force of law and is carried out in the name of the country and the people. People's congresses exercise their oversight powers collectively in accordance with the law and prescribed procedures. They do not exercise administrative, judicial or procuratorial powers, nor do they directly deal with specific issues. Over the years, we have made tremendous efforts to strengthen and improve the oversight work of people's congresses with considerable success, created a body of effective work mechanisms and methods, and helped solve major problems that have an overall impact and are of deep concern to the people. Experience shows that oversight by people's congresses in accordance with the law helps governments, courts and procuratorates improve their work. Accepting oversight by people's congresses also facilitates governments' administration in accordance with the law as well as the impartial justice of courts and procuratorates. To properly handle their relations with governments, courts and procuratorates when overseeing their work, it is important for people's congresses to act in strict accordance with the Law on Oversight. This requires us to always uphold the approach of concentrating on core issues, identifying priorities and seeking substantive results, and constantly improve the way we carry out oversight. This year, we will intensify oversight in the following three areas.

First, we will further intensify oversight of budgets. Overseeing the implementation of central and local budgets is an important power granted by law to the NPC Standing Committee and an important guarantee for comprehensively implementing the budgets approved by the NPC and its resolutions on them. The Standing Committee used to deliberate the report on the implementation of budgets for the first five months of the year at its June meeting when it heard and deliberated the final budget of the Central Government for the previous year. In order to make the NPC's oversight of budgets more effective and in accordance with the Law on Oversight and the Budget Law, we will hold a special hearing and deliberation at the August meeting of the Standing Committee on the State Council's report on the implementation of the budgets since the beginning of this year and focus on examining the implementation of the NPC's resolutions on budgets; the main revenue and expenditures in central and local budgets; the implementation of fiscal policy and fiscal and taxation measures; the availability and use of funds for key expenditures such as agriculture, education, science and technology, culture, health and social security; transfer payments from the Central Government to local governments; and the issuance of government bonds.

Second, we will carry out investigations and studies on compiling the Outline of the 12th Five-Year Plan. To implement the guiding principles of the 17th National Party Congress and the Central Economic Work Conference, in the first half of this year we will organize NPC special committees and executive bodies of the Standing Committee to carry out investigations and studies on issues involved in the compilation of the Outline of the 12th Five-Year Plan, including the distribution of national income; economic restructuring; employment and social security; development of education, science and technology, culture and health; agriculture, rural areas and farmers; energy conservation, emissions reductions and environmental protection; and reform of the fiscal and taxation systems. We will put forward a substantial number of comments and suggestions to provide the Central Government with material for making decisions, and prepare the NPC to deliberate and approve the outline during its session next year.

Third, we will make inquiries and interrogations on special issues in accordance with the law. Inquiries and interrogations are legal means by which people's congresses oversee governments, courts and procuratorates. On the basis of the Law on Oversight and the guiding principles of the Decision of the NPC Standing Committee on Intensifying Oversight of Economic Work, this year we will select a number of issues of widespread concern to NPC deputies; hear reports on those issues by relevant departments of the State Council; and as provided for in relevant laws, ask main leaders from those departments of the State Council to listen to suggestions, respond to inquiries and answer questions.

The 2010 Shanghai World Expo, with the slogan "a better city, a better life," will be an international arena for cities to showcase their cultural fruits, share their experience and ideas of development, and explore how to coordinate urban and rural development. The Expo will be another global event hosted by China, taking up where the Beijing Olympic Games left off. We will give our utmost support to all preparatory work to ensure the Expo is successful, spectacular and unforgettable.

3. Continuing to strengthen work in the areas of services for NPC deputies, foreign contacts and self-improvement

We need to further strengthen and improve work related to deputies. We will earnestly implement the guiding principles of the Central Committee Document No. 9, 2005, continue to improve the work system, improve quality in the handling of deputies' bills and proposals, expand their involvement in the work of the Standing Committee and special committees, better organize inspection tours and investigations and studies for them, improve the way they carry out activities in groups, intensify their training in special areas, provide better services for them, and get them to fully play their role in supervising state affairs.

We need to further strengthen and improve the NPC's foreign contacts, with the focus on exchanging high-level visits, effectively advancing regular exchanges with national parliaments and congresses of major countries, and actively participating in the preparations for and the activities of the Third World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments. We will earnestly engage in activities related to the Shanghai World Expo with foreign countries, expand and develop friendly dealings and cooperation with foreign parliaments and congresses on many levels and in many areas, continue to improve our overseas publicity work, and make better use of the NPC's role in foreign contact.

We need to further strengthen and improve the NPC's publicity work. We will strengthen organization and coordination; channel the orientation of public opinion; make full use of television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet and other new media; flexibly use all means of communication; and widely publicize the system of people's congresses and the latest progress of all the NPC's endeavors.

We need to further strengthen self-improvement. We will maintain the correct political orientation in the NPC's work throughout, and keep the Party, politics, the overall situation, the people, and the rule of law firmly in mind. We will undertake study on a large scale, stay close to the people, and work in a realistic and pragmatic manner. We will carry out thorough investigations and studies, organize workshops on special topics, and genuinely improve our capability to fulfill our duties in accordance with the law. We will make full use of special committees, strengthen coordination and collaboration between them, and improve the overall quality of their work. We will forge closer ties with standing committees of local people's congresses, learn from the positive experiences of local people's congresses in carrying out their duties in accordance with the law, and improve democracy and the legal system together. Bodies of the NPC should further improve their ideology and work style, their organizational systems, and their quality and capabilities; and collectively advise and assist and provide good services for NPC deputies, the Standing Committee, and special committees in the performance of their duties in accordance with the law.

Fellow Deputies,

Our goals spur us to action, and our tasks are daunting and onerous. Let us rally closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Hu Jintao as General Secretary, hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, take Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents as our guide, and thoroughly apply the Scientific Outlook on Development. Let us come together, forge ahead, work solidly, and strive to achieve new success in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and open up new vistas for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Source: www.xinhuanet.com