New national political advisers eager to do their part

My daughter runs fast, she received the "Little Sports Star" award from her kindergarten at the end of last semester. Every time I pass by our bathroom, I see her notebook-sized certificate magnetically attached on the door.

Does anyone dislike an award? I don't think so.

On Tuesday, I saw a beaming professor from Beijing Normal University proudly showing others a scroll-style award he had received, just like my daughter did in front of us.

He was one of 33 members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee to receive the "Outstanding Performance Award" for 2023.

Last year, 2,169 people were elected as national political advisers. Many of them are big names in fields ranging from economics to diplomacy, and most are assuming their advisory roles for the first time.

This year, as a journalist stationed at the North China Hotel where members of advisory groups centered on medicine, health, international relations and more are holding panel meetings during the two sessions, I heard a lot of them saying that over the past year, they have been working hard to learn how best to serve as qualified national political advisers.

Wu Ken, China's ambassador to Germany, said that when he told Germans that he was going back to Beijing for this year's two sessions, they showed great interest in the meeting.

"So I took the opportunity to introduce China's political system, especially what the two sessions are, to many people there, in my capacity as a member of the CPPCC National Committee," Wu said.

Wu said this turned out to be a good way to explain to foreigners how China's whole-process people's democracy is practiced via the consultative system.

Wang Jian'an is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a renowned cardiovascular expert from Zhejiang province. He is also a new member of the CPPCC National Committee.

Wang told me that he had submitted a proposal on attracting overseas patients to receive medical services in China as it is urgent and important to promote the opening-up of the medical field to reflect the country's overall national strength and global competitiveness.

"This is not something that can be done overnight, but it is the responsibility of advisers like me to bring it up," he said.

Like Wang, many CPPCC members will provide their advice in proposals submitted to a committee of the CPPCC, which is responsible for distributing the proposals to related central ministries.

Since the previous session of the CPPCC National Committee in March last year, 99.9 percent of the 4,791 proposals filed have received feedback from ministries.

Wang said that behind these proposals are investigations, research and insights of the national political advisers, who embrace the hope that their advice will be considered in the next round of policymaking, thus driving a new round of development.

"I believe that being a CPPCC member is not just about the title. What matters more is whether we can truly make an impact or not," he said.

As China now plays an increasingly important role in international affairs, some advisers suggested that the CPPCC should also focus on global issues.

Liao Liqiang, China's ambassador to Egypt, said that after the outbreak of the Palestine-Israel conflict, the moral image of the United States in the Middle East collapsed.

In contrast, China's image of upholding justice has received widespread praise and recognition both at the United Nations and among regional countries.

Liao suggested that more in-depth research can be conducted in this area in order to provide advice for the country's diplomatic work.

Many CPPCC members admitted that it will not be easy for China to achieve the socioeconomic development goals it has set for this year.

Therefore, it is particularly important that the national political advisers give full play to their own advantages to strengthen strategic risk assessment, propose ideas and measures to respond to risks and challenges in a prudent way.

"I hope that advisers who work abroad, like me, can be assigned one or two research topics each year so that we can write reports based on our local observations and experience and better serve China's development with our advice and suggestions," Wu said.