Full Text: Work report of NPC Standing Committee

2. Focusing oversight work on promoting the implementation of the major policy decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee

This year is the toughest year for economic development since we entered the new century, with huge tasks facing us in reform, development and stability. But, great opportunities exist side by side with severe challenges. In order to successfully carry out this year's work, the Central Committee has clearly pointed out that we must maintain steady and rapid economic growth based on boosting domestic demand, promote sustainable development by accelerating transformation of the pattern of development and economic restructuring, make economic and social development stronger and more dynamic by deepening reform and opening up, intensify social development to speed up resolution of difficult and hotspot issues that bear on the interests of the people, and promote sound and rapid economic and social development and social harmony and stability. The Central Committee has made a number of major policy decisions and arrangements to accomplish these tasks and has called on all Party members and the people of all our ethnic groups to enhance their confidence in the face of difficulty and work hard together to constantly move forward the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The top priority for the Standing Committee's oversight work this year is to oversee implementation of the major policy decisions and arrangements of the Central Committee. We will fully implement the Law on Oversight, apply a combination of oversight means, and urge and support the State Council, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate in carrying out their work in accordance with the targets and tasks they put forward in their work reports to ensure implementation of the Central Committee's major policy decisions and arrangements and successful accomplishment of this year's tasks for economic and social development.

First, we must improve oversight of economic work. We will hear and deliberate the State Council's special work reports on transforming the pattern of economic development, promoting development of small and medium-sized enterprises, and preventing and controlling air pollution, as well as its reports on the 2008 central government final budget, auditing work and plan implementation, and will deliberate and approve the final budget. We will devote a great deal of effort to promoting steady and rapid economic development and transforming the pattern of economic development.

Second, we must strengthen our oversight of the handling of issues affecting people's well-being. We will hear and deliberate the State Council's special work reports on developing a social safety net in rural areas, promoting employment and reemployment, carrying out recovery and reconstruction following the earthquake that hit Wenchuan, Sichuan Province, and developing vocational education, the Supreme People's Court's report on improving enforcement of civil law, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate's report on investigating cases of dereliction of duty and infringement of rights. In addition, we will investigate compliance with laws such as the Law on Trade Unions, the Food Safety Law and the Livestock Breeding Law in a strong effort to maintain and improve people's standard of living and promote social harmony and stability.

In light of the fact that there are quite a few uncertainties in this year's economic situation, we will concentrate our oversight work on two areas to make it more focused and effective. First, we will carry out more investigations and studies to gain a clear picture of actual conditions so we can focus on major problems and the main aspects of those problems and put forward good comments and suggestions. Second, we will use a combination of oversight means, strengthen follow-up oversight, focus on key and difficult problems of common concern to the deputies, and urge the concerned parties to improve their work and set up a sound permanent mechanism for resolving these problems.

We have devoted a great deal of effort in recent years to strengthening and improving the oversight work of the NPC, achieved significant results and established a comprehensive system of effective working mechanisms and methods. The Tenth NPC formulated the Law on Oversight to provide a legal framework for these mechanisms and methods in order to make the oversight work of the standing committees of the people's congresses at all levels more standardized and proceduralized. Over the last two years or so since its implementation, this law has proven to be a good law that is in line with China's actual conditions and the work of the people's congresses. In order to ensure that this law is implemented more successfully and that the people's congresses carry out their oversight work more effectively, we need to clear up three points.

First, the power of oversight is an important power granted to the people's congresses by the Constitution and laws. Their oversight carries the force of law and is carried out in the name of the country and the people, making it irreplaceable. Their oversight work, which consists of oversight of law enforcement and oversight of work performance, covers a great deal of ground, involves a great variety of arduous tasks and is well worth doing.

Second, the people's congresses oversee the work of the people's governments, people's courts and people's procuratorates, but this does not mean that they are confrontational or create difficulties for the parties they oversee. On the contrary, the people's congresses and the organizations they oversee are working toward the same goals. When the people's congresses carry out their oversight work effectively in accordance with the law, it helps improve the work of the people's governments, people's courts and people's procuratorates. When the people's governments, people's courts and people's procuratorates willingly accept the oversight of the people's congresses in accordance with the law, it helps ensure that the people's governments carry out their administrative functions in accordance with the law and that the people's courts and people's procuratorates exercise their judicial functions fairly.

Third, the key to doing the oversight work of the people's congresses well is to focus on key areas and stress practical results. A law may contain many provisions, but there are usually only a few that the people are most concerned about. At the same time, there are many issues and problems that have to be addressed in the course of our work, but there are usually only several that are in fact crucial. Therefore, if we focus on resolving these crucial issues, we can expand our efforts to include other issues so that the results of our oversight work can be truly significant.