Exchange key to NPC's diplomatic agenda

Sri Lanka's Ambassador to China, Majintha Joseph Priye Jayesinghe, who attended the ongoing two sessions as an observer, has expressed his admiration for China's democratic practices.

The diplomat said on Wednesday after listening to the 2025 Government Work Report in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing that China's democracy starts from the townships to the major cities where interaction is done at all levels, and where people are engaged.

"You can see the representation in every angle, from the grass root to the top. In every single field, people are interacting," he added.

Over the decade, I have been covering the two sessions, and I have seen foreign faces every year, including diplomatic envoys and journalists. We nodded at each other sometimes as we passed, while sometimes we exchanged ideas on topics of mutual interest.

The two sessions, the annual meetings of China's top legislative and political advisory bodies, are not only crucial for the Chinese people, but also a critical window for the outside world to observe and understand China.

In addition to attending the sessions, many foreign diplomats have also been invited by the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and its standing committee to visit Chinese enterprises and participate in seminars.

During the activities, they witnessed China's development firsthand and gained an understanding of how China's democracy works.

In April, for example, ambassadors and diplomats from 36 countries visited a legislative outreach office in Beijing's Chaoyang district. There, they observed a fundamental step in lawmaking and discussed it with deputies to the people's congresses at various levels.

Anne Lafortune, the ambassador of the Seychelles to China, regarded the visit as a good platform to learn from the source about China's legislation process, saying it shows the commitment of the Chinese government to meet the needs and aspirations of the people.

Michael Campbell, Nicaragua's ambassador to China, said that the communication with Chinese lawmakers made him see China's whole-process people's democracy at the grassroots level.

He told me that he was impressed by the diversity of participants in legislation, such as women and young people, adding "the greater participation of each sector makes decisions more creative in policies, regulations and norms".

In late 2023, 21 parliamentary representatives from Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands and Tonga took part in a seminar organized by the NPC Standing Committee in Beijing, with exchanges of ideas on how to better serve people and promote development in a democratic way.

Joseph Yopyyopy, a parliamentarian from Papua New Guinea, said the seminar helped him learn more about how the Chinese government listens to people's opinions and encourages wide participation both online and offline.

Besides, China's top legislature also held symposiums on other issues, such as sustainable growth and poverty reduction.

As China welcomes foreign diplomats and lawmakers to visit and see the country for themselves, the NPC has also been going global to share the true story of China.

Lou Qinjian, spokesman for the third session of the 14th NPC, said on March 4 that the NPC's international exchanges are an essential part of China's overall diplomacy and the work of the NPC.

He revealed that the NPC has maintained interactions with parliaments of 190 countries, set up 26 international exchange mechanisms and 143 bilateral friendship groups, and is also a member and observer of more than 20 multilateral parliament organizations.

Emphasizing the unique advantages of the legislative body in international exchanges to serve the national diplomatic agenda, he added that the pace will continue.

Amid the increasingly complex and evolving international situation, the NPC has placed more importance on foreign-related affairs over the past 10 years, which is also reflected in its legislative items.

In 2023, for instance, China formulated laws on foreign state immunity and foreign relations, revising the Counter-Espionage Law and the foreign-related chapter in the Civil Procedure Law.

Going forward, I believe the NPC will maintain the fast pace of its external exchanges and legislative steps involving foreign matters to serve high-level opening-up and advance Chinese modernization.

Contact the writer at caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn