Xi calls on political advisors to build consensus for Chinese modernization

BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called on Chinese political advisors to build broad consensus to contribute to Chinese modernization, when he participated in a joint group meeting during the second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, urged political advisors from different political parties, organizations, ethnic groups, sectors, and all walks of life to conduct in-depth research and actively offer suggestions based on the major strategic tasks laid out by the 20th CPC National Congress and the arrangements made by the Central Economic Work Conference.

The meeting was attended by political advisors from the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (RCCK), the sector of science and technology, and the sector of environment and resources.

Xi extended festive greetings and best wishes to the country's women of all ethnic groups and from all walks of life ahead of International Women's Day, which falls on March 8.

Wang Huning, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, and Cai Qi, director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, joined the discussion. Wang and Cai are both members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

At the joint group meeting, six national political advisors spoke on topics ranging from cross-Strait cooperation in industrial and supply chains to internet core technologies and environmental protection.

After attentively listening to the political advisors, Xi made an important speech. He said the CPC Central Committee united and led the whole Party and Chinese people of all ethnic groups to fulfill the major economic and social development goals in 2023, adding that political advisors contributed their efforts and wisdom to this hard-earned achievement.

On the work related to Taiwan, Xi urged the RCCK to unite all patriots from home and abroad, in and out of Taiwan to step up opposition against "Taiwan independence," expand support for national reunification, and jointly advance the peaceful reunification of China.

He called for active efforts to promote exchanges and cooperation in fields such as sci-tech development, agriculture, culture and youth development across the Taiwan Strait and deepen cross-Strait integrated development.

Xi called on political advisors and all people in the science and technology sector to strengthen basic research and applied basic research, strive to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields, and create new drivers for developing new quality productive forces.

Xi urged political advisors from the sector of environment and resources to make new contributions to ecological and environmental protection and sustaining high-quality development with high-level protection.

He called for fully and accurately implementing the guidelines of targeted, science-based and lawful pollution control, advancing green and low-carbon social and economic development, and promoting carbon emission peaking and carbon neutrality in an active and prudent manner.

Noting this year marks the 75th anniversary of the CPPCC's establishment, Xi emphasized the need for the CPPCC to promote the specialized consultative body's institutional development, and urged political advisors to enhance their ability to perform duties for new advances in the work of the CPPCC and the multi-party cooperation.