NPC and CPPCC held today

[YoucanYouup]

The third session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 3, 2015. (Xinhua/Li He)
BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The Third Session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body, opened Tuesday in Beijing, kicking off the most important two weeks on China's political calendar this year.
A total of 2,153 members of the CPPCC National Committee will discuss major issues concerning the country's development during the annual session.
At the opening meeting in the Great Hall of the People, CPPCC National Committee Chairman Yu Zhengshengdelivered a report on the work of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee in the past year.
Top Communist Party of China and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishanand Zhang Gaoliattended the opening meeting.
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[YoucanYouup]

“四个全面”是重头戏
　　两会之前，“四个全面”（即全面建成小康社会、全面深化改革、全面依法治国、全面从严治党）成为了中国政治生活中最热的词汇，代表委员们对此深有感触。
　　“我预计，今年两会既是大家深入研读认识‘四个全面’的重要场合，也将是凝聚力量推动落实‘四个全面’的宽广平台。”在接受记者采访时，全国政协委员、民建中央调研部部长蔡玲表示。“作为一个委员，我对此很赞同，也很关注。”
　　“四个全面”囊括范围极广，每一项都与13亿中国人息息相关。不少代表委员关注的，都是在自己所擅长的领域内，对落实好“四个全面”的具体想法。
　　全国政协委员、河北沧州市政协副主席何香久长期关注农民工问题，他告诉记者，希望在“四个全面”大背景之下，通过深化户籍制度改革，以解决农民工心理上的障碍，使得“农民真正成为市民”。
　　作为主政一方的地方官，全国人大代表、安徽省阜阳市委书记于勇的期待更为直接，他认为，安徽已经整省纳入国家新型城镇化试点，阜阳作为传统农区，要做好各项工作，让广大农村居民在新常态下激荡中国梦、共圆小康梦。
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Chinese goal is becoming richer and more free from corruption, NPC&CPPCC try to make country deepen reform and opening
Design an objective and explore the way to the migrant workers citizenry.
Start the new type city construction in rural areas
　　关键、开局与收官
　　关键之年、开局之年、收官之年，去年底的中央经济工作会议，如此定义2015年。
　　“2015年是全面深化改革的关键之年，我们将继续用改革释放发展的新动力，提高发展的质量和效益。”于勇告诉本报记者。
　　全面依法治国迎来开局之年。全国政协委员、国浩律师事务所合伙人施杰在接受本报采访时表示，全面依法治国肯定是两会的热点，现在反腐和司法体制改革，彰显了法律的公平和公正。他认为，要全面依法治国，必然要面临一些群众关心的问题，比如依法行政是不是真正有了制度性的安排。下一步，还要进一步推进司法公正，今年他的提案也多是围绕司法公正方面来做的内容。
　　“十二五”规划正迎来收官之年。“十二五”要收官，如何更多参与“十三五”，成了全国政协委员、香港得利钟表集团董事长梁伟浩关注的重点。他告诉记者，香港要巩固和提升国际金融、贸易、航运中心地位，增强产业创新能力，推动经济社会协调发展，不能低头只看自己的“一亩三分地”，应在国家全面深化改革的大局中找准定位、明确使命。
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2015 Saw the start of the rule of law for china , and end for the 12th five-year plan .

　　形成两会新风格
　　截至3月2日中午12时，在2227名委员中已经有1359名到大会秘书处报到。目前大会秘书处已经收到提案979件，大会发言稿337份。
　　何香久最大的感触是，今年的“文山明显要减少”。他直言，以前开会前有一大堆资料，既是浪费，又形成了阅读负担，但今年从会前到签到，只发放了一些最基本的议程和说明，让他感到“清风徐徐”。
　　“去年一年我有十多次到宁夏的贫困村镇调研，聆听村医们的心声，还经常接到来自全国不同地区乡村医生的电话和信件，让我把基层的声音带到两会上。”全国人大代表马玉花告诉记者，当人大代表3年发现，全面了解掌握国情、区情、县情、民情非常重要，而下功夫的调研，才是好的议案的来源。
　　在接受记者采访时，一些代表委员表示，今年两会，在“接待水平”上继续下降，甚至原有的洗漱包都不再提供，矿泉水也限量供应。
　　两会的新风格在形成，两会的效果则需拭目以待。
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This session of NPC and CPPCC are more frugal and effective.

 

[AndrewJin]

Law, Anti-Corruption, Economical Reforms

 

[YoucanYouup]

乘坐高铁进京参加两会，成为不少代表委员的新选择。
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Many deputy to the national people's congress and CPPCC members choose to ride the High-speed Rail
据新华网3月3日消息，2－3日，上海、江苏、河南、陕西、湖南等代表团搭乘高铁进京，早前还有部分全国政协委员也乘坐高铁抵达。
元宵节还未到来，高铁上的代表委员其实也是“世界最大人口迁移”的春运人潮中的一部分。
自京沪高铁通车以来，上海代表团是第二次选择乘高铁进京。全国人大代表、农民工朱雪芹对记者说：“行程近5个小时，我和几位代表一起讨论了今年春季农民工欠薪有所加剧的现象，气氛很热烈！”
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Deputies to the National People's Congress, migrant workers Zhu Xueqin told reporters she discussed the problems of migrant workers with several representatives.

全国人大上海代表团朱国萍、朱志远等代表走出车厢（图片：东方网）

中国高铁通车里程已超过1.6万公里，这个数字是地球赤道周长的约40％，同时占世界高铁通车里程的一半以上。而且两会举行之际，中国高铁正在经受一年一度春运的考验。
中国铁路总公司的数据显示，2014年春运，全国高铁基本成网，铁路发送旅客超过2.67亿，其中高铁发送旅客8688万人，占旅客发送总量的33％。2015年春运，铁路总运能将有望突破3亿，各项指数将创历史新高。其中高铁旅客增量占全路旅客增量的70％。
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Achievement of Chinese High-speed Rail : 16000km ,86880000 passengers

全国人大上海代表团代表严诚忠（图片：东方网）

两会启幕之际，全国人大代表、企业家宗庆后的一份有关高铁票价的建议在网上被热转。他呼吁：“降低高铁的票价，让普通老百姓都能买得起票。”
在宗庆后呼吁高铁票价再便宜一点之前，几年内高铁相关的定价、运能及服务都一直备受代表委员关注。有关部门也做出了回应，提出改进措施。
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Deputies to the National People's Congress, entrepreneur Zong Qinghou called for lower fares
大约半年前，全国人大代表、广东省惠州市旅游局局长黄细花提交了“关于尽快解决厦深高铁买票难的建议”。
“提出才一个多月吧，中国铁路总公司作为书面意见的承办方之一，就给予了我明确回复，不仅厦深高铁的班次将增加，经停惠州这样一座小城市的车次也将增加，方便更多乘客买票。”黄细花说。
Half a year ago ,director of National People's Congress, Guangdong Province, Huizhou City Tourism Bureau Huang Xihua submitted a proposal about solbe the problem difficult to buy a ticket, and a month later China Railway Corporation taken many measures
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河南省代表裴春亮在高铁前接受媒体采访

这条在东南沿海兴建的高铁，对于广东、福建一带的民众意义非凡。“有了高铁不仅人流多了起来，整个沿线的经济和社会发展也被盘活了。”黄细花说，作为答复人大代表书面意见的一方，中国铁路总公司本身也是中国民主政治生活的产物。

她还清晰记得，2013年，自己与其他全国人大代表一道，在十二届全国人大一次会议上投票表决通过了关于国务院机构改革和职能转变方案的决定，见证了铁道部“拆分”为国家铁路局和中国铁路总公司的历史性沿革。

这位代表认为，高铁这个词汇，对于中国两会而言，不仅是越来越重要的交通工具，其实也是国家推动改革、创新、发展的代名词之一。
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High-speed Rail is not just a means of transport, it will see country to promote the reform, innovation, development
高铁还成为中国技术装备“走出去”的重要载体，被政协委员在关于“一带一路”战略的讨论中提及。
细心者还发现，2015年，超过三分之一的京外代表团选择乘坐火车参会，但不全是高铁。来自黑龙江省和内蒙古自治区的一些代表，仍乘坐Ｚ字、Ｋ字头的火车进京。显然，中国的铁路网，包括高铁网还有不断延伸的空间。

人们相信，在中国经济新常态下关于加强铁路网建设的议题，将在这次两会上成为一个焦点。
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Strengthen the construction of railway network issues will be a focus in NPC&CPPCC


请支持独立网站，转发请注明本文链接：高铁：中国两会民主政治的新见证

 

[TaiShang]

The 'two sessions': a fourfold challenge
By Tim Collard

March 3, 2015

The focus [By Jiao Haiyang/China.org.cn]


As the excitement and holiday mood of China's Spring Festival wears off and the nation goes back to work, the Year of the Sheep kicks off in the usual way with the formal exposition of the government's policy goals in the annual "two sessions" of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), to be held as usual in the first week of March.

Following the major test of the Spring Festival family reunions, China's transport infrastructure faces a somewhat lesser challenge as thousands of delegates travel to Beijing for another great reunion.

As has become normal, the Chinese leadership has issued a general statement of purpose in advance of the meetings, with further details regarding the individual elements of the programme to be discussed during the "two sessions" and released in the post-meeting communiqués.

For the purpose of tabulation and easier memorability, the general statement usually comprises a small number of headings: thus, following the "three represents" of the Jiang Zemin era, we now have "four comprehensives." These headings do not normally represent new departures: they are used to focus intensively on policies already in place, giving a unifying general direction to existing policy. China does not believe in sharp turns and breaks in the development of policy, though there may be changes of emphasis to fit changing times and requirements.

The "four comprehensives" provide a balance between economic and political goals. The first is the achievement of a "moderately prosperous" society. The word "moderately" shows the intention of managing the public's expectations, after the astonishing speed of growth over the last 30 years. Everybody must have known that such growth rates could not be sustained forever, and that China would at some point have to adjust to slower and steadier rates; that moment has now come. The stimulus packages of previous years, reaching into the trillions of RMB, will now cease. When the target growth figure is announced by the NPC, it will be surprising if it is higher than 7 percent - still a figure of which most countries can only dream.

The second policy goal is the deepening of reform, which will be necessary if changes in the rate of economic development are to be handled sustainably.

But possibly more attention will be diverted to the political aims set out in the third and fourth statements of intent: the establishment of firm governance based on the rule of law, and the intensification of Party discipline, the struggle against corruption and other abuses.

These are established elements of President Xi's declared policy, but many details are still unclear. The precise meaning of the expression "rule of law" still requires clarification, as the Chinese leadership has made it clear that this must not be understood in the Western sense of a separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary from the executive.

A new basis for the rule of law must therefore be thought out and implemented. The key must surely be the establishment of clarity: for the citizen, clarity over what is and is not permitted under the law, and, for officials, what is and is not permitted in the implementation of the law.

The all-too-common feeling that it is important not to work according to clearly expressed and consistently upheld laws, but to pay more attention to not damaging the interests of the police and other officials, must give way to a legal framework which is open and clearly comprehensible to everyone.

As has been repeatedly emphasized by the Chinese leadership, reform is the key to stability and innovation is the key to progress. Neither must be inhibited by fear of repression by vested interests, provided that one proceeds with reform and innovation in accordance with the law.

How precisely these principles can be implemented in Chinese conditions remains to be seen. What is clear is that we have moved into new territory with this initiative; there are no foreign or historical precedents for the establishment and maintenance of the balance at which President Xi is aiming, especially in a country the size of China. But that does not mean it is impossible: there were no precedents for the growth of the Chinese economy over the last 30 years either.

Thus, just as the leadership will have to manage expectations regarding the future growth of the economy, so they will also have to manage expectations of the speed at which "rule of law with Chinese characteristics" can be fully achieved. This is a long-term program; its implementation will exceed the period of the current leadership's tenure of office, and so measures will have to be put in place to ensure the continuation of these policies well into the future. I am sure we will find out how the government intends to tackle these issues by the end of the session.