STORY: Democracy that works
SHOOTING TIME: recent footage/file
DATELINE: March 2, 2025
LENGTH: 00:07:27
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: POLITICS

STORYLINE:

The "two sessions" offer the world an important window into China's democracy. In March, thousands of national legislators and political advisors gather in Beijing to discuss and plan the country's future development.

The thoughts and aspirations of over 1.4 billion people have been incorporated into the top-level design of national development through China's unique and distinctive whole-process people's democracy.

Dingxi in Gansu Province is one of China's primary production areas for potatoes.

Just days after the Spring Festival holiday, Dong Jianxin, a national lawmaker and Party chief of Yuangudui Village of Dingxi, came to a potato breeding greenhouse to conduct research.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): DONG JIANXIN, NPC deputy, Party chief of Yuangudui Village in Dingxi
"How many varieties of potatoes are cultivated here?"

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): Staff member at the greenhouse
"More than 10 to 20 varieties are cultivated here each year."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): DONG JIANXIN, NPC deputy, Party chief of Yuangudui Village in Dingxi
"In 2023, I attended the annual session of the National People's Congress for the first time and put forward a suggestion on supporting Dingxi in Gansu Province to establish a national-level potato industry cluster.
My suggestion gained significant attention from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission, it responded with a reply, offering guidance and policy support for the high-quality construction of the potato industry cluster."

Partly thanks to Dong's suggestion, in 2023, relevant ministries supported Gansu in establishing a potato industry cluster.

This initiative included implementing virus-free seed potato breeding, the construction of integrated water and fertilizer bases, and the development of e-commerce platforms, among other measures.

In 2024, 2.9377 million mu (195,846 hectares) of potatoes were planted in Dingxi, with the total output reaching 4.65 million tonnes.

At this year's "two sessions," Dong prepares to submit a suggestion on providing policy support for talent in rural areas, helping rural areas to attract and retain talent.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): DONG JIANXIN, NPC deputy, Party chief of Yuangudui Village in Dingxi
"As a grassroots NPC deputy, I'm committed to fulfilling my duties diligently. I bring the people's aspirations and voices to the National People's Congress, while ensuring the central government's policies on strengthening agriculture and benefitting rural communities reach the households. We aim to build more harmonious and beautiful rural communities and help our people enjoy an increasingly prosperous life."

China has over 2.77 million deputies at the five levels of people's congresses, including nearly 3,000 deputies to the NPC.

They include people from various backgrounds and cover a diverse cross-section of society.

Deputies at various levels are key channels for people's voices.

60-year-old Zhang Yuzhen has served as an NPC deputy for three consecutive terms. She has worked in the environmental protection field for over 20 years.

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): ZHANG YUZHEN, NPC deputy, Former director of Fujian Provincial Academy of Environmental Science
"Over the years, I have been engaged in the research of pollution prevention and control in river basins and marine environments. I have conducted in-depth surveys and research in coastal areas. I've identified some common issues in the construction of 'beautiful bays.' National-level support and action are needed to address them."

The construction of "beautiful bays" was initiated in China in 2021.

It's an important part of the "Beautiful China" initiative in the field of marine ecological conservation.

In 2023, Zhang, together with two other NPC deputies, submitted a suggestion on strengthening the protection and construction of beautiful bays.

Their suggestion was handled by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, together with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The ministries have attached great importance to this matter.

Having adopted ideas in the suggestion, they guided coastal areas to formulate implementation plans in accordance with the basic requirements and reference indicators for the construction of "beautiful bays," and advance the project in a phased manner.

In June 2024, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued a plan to build more than 110 beautiful bays across the country by 2027. This figure will account for about 40 percent of China's major bays.

During this year's "two sessions," Zhang plans to put forward a suggestion on strengthening the construction of groundwater monitoring networks in rural areas and increasing the monitoring points.

SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): ZHANG YUZHEN, NPC deputy, Former director of Fujian Provincial Academy of Environmental Science
"I have submitted nearly 70 proposals and suggestions related to ecological environmental protection and the 'Beautiful China' initiative."

SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): ZHANG YUZHEN, NPC deputy, Former director of Fujian Provincial Academy of Environmental Science
"Relevant government bodies diligently handle the proposals and suggestions of national lawmakers, actively working to address practical concerns and ensure that public opinions are heard and responded to. This demonstrates the institutional advantages of the whole-process people's democracy.
In my view, the whole-process people's democracy is rooted in the rule of law and characterized by a warm, people-centered approach."

The people's congress system is a foundational political system for upholding the unity between leadership by the CPC (Communist Party of China), the running of the country by the people, and law-based governance.

The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is an important organ for multi-party cooperation and political consultation led by the CPC. It is a major channel for socialist consultative democracy and a specialist consultative body.

In June 2024, Fu Xiaoyun, a doctor and a member of the CPPCC National Committee, returned to Zunyi after concluding his medical assistance work at a hospital in Sandu Shui Autonomous County of Guizhou.

During the two years of assistance work, he helped the hospital cultivate reserve talents and improve its medical standards.

SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): FU XIAOYUN, CPPCC National Committee member, Deputy director of Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University
"The hospital's facilities were relatively outdated. The training of medical staff was insufficient. As a result, the hospital's overall service capacity was relatively inadequate back then."

Fu conducted extensive research tours in villages and clinics, and gained a better understanding of the conditions of the grassroots healthcare system.

During the "two sessions" in 2024, Fu submitted a proposal on optimizing the free medical student training program that is oriented toward rural areas.

SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): FU XIAOYUN, CPPCC National Committee member, Deputy director of Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University
"There were rural-oriented medical students under the program, but the number of such students being trained was decreasing. My proposal received very positive feedback. Both the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Education paid great attention to it. Last year, the Ministry of Education even sent a team to our hospital for further research."

Thanks to Fu's proposal, the undergraduate enrollment quota for tuition-free medical students at three medical-related universities in Guizhou increased from 191 in 2023 to 313 in 2024.

During this year's "two sessions," Fu plans to put forward a proposal on accelerating the advancement of integrated medical big data systems and promoting high-quality development of the healthcare system.

SOUNDBITE 10 (Chinese): FU XIAOYUN, CPPCC National Committee member, Deputy director of Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University
"In my two years serving as a member of the CPPCC National Committee, I have gained a deep understanding of the true essence of whole-process people's democracy. We, political advisors from various fields, find the problems and understand the needs of the people through our work. Then, through democratic procedures, we integrate these insights into the nation's top-level design and decision-making processes, effectively addressing problems and ultimately translating the will of the people into tangible outcomes."

In a country with about one-fifth of the world's population, people are actively participating in democratic practices ranging from state legislation to local matters.

The "two sessions" are an important platform to fully demonstrate and practice whole-process people's democracy.

Chinese democracy starts with the full expression of the people's will, and is ultimately realized through effective implementation.

Voice of Chinese President Xi Jinping
"Whole-process people's democracy is the defining feature of socialist democracy. It is democracy in its broadest, most genuine, and most effective form."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)