BEIJING — President Xi Jinping called for fully implementing the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and pressing ahead with reform.

Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks on Nov 20 at the first meeting of the Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform of the 19th CPC Central Committee, which he heads.

“In studying and implementing the spirit of the Party congress, we should focus on its essence, arrangements and requirements on reform,” said Xi.

Senior officials Li Keqiang, Zhang Gaoli, Wang Yang and Wang Huning attended the meeting.

METHODOLOGY OF REFORM

Reform since the 18th CPC National Congress has made a series of theoretical, institutional and practical achievements, and established a framework for reform in major fields, said a statement issued after the meeting.

They are a solid foundation for future reform in deeper layers, which must rely on the thorough study and implementation of the spirit of the 19th Party congress and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

It also outlined three key points that should not be altered: CPC centralized, unified leadership of reform; the general goal of “improving and developing the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernizing China’s system and capacity for governance”; and the people-centered reform philosophy.

The leading group called for systematic, unified and coordinated action in pushing forward the tasks set at the 19th CPC National Congress, as well as continued efforts in ongoing projects.

In addition, it ordered early planning of reform for 2018 — the 40th anniversary of the beginning of reform and opening up.

Revisions to the leading group’s working rules and a report on supervising the implementation of reform were also adopted at the meeting.

REFORM IN VARIOUS FIELDS

A guideline stipulating that the State Council should report management of state-owned assets to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee was adopted at the meeting.

It is aimed at ensuring that management of state-owned assets is open and transparent, to enable resources to better serve development and benefit the people.

A guideline on the selection and management of officials working in poverty-stricken regions was passed at the meeting, to help select officials able to promote poverty relief and deal with slack management and undesirable work practices.

A three-year action plan on rural environment was approved at the meeting, primarily focusing on garbage and sewage disposal while preserving the landscape.

A guideline on establishing a “lake chief” system was approved and lake chiefs will be appointed with responsibilities including resource protection, pollution prevention and control, and ecological restoration. China began to appoint “river chiefs” nationwide in December last year.

The leading group also agreed to fully implement educational policy and adhere to socialist educational orientation. Great importance will be attached in cultivating rural teaching staff.

The leading group asked for expansion of a pilot project to reform rural residential land, protecting public ownership of land, farmer’s interests and arable land.

Farmers should not trade their residential land or abandon their rights to use the land in exchange for becoming urban residents, according to the statement.

The meeting called for improving the recruitment of general medical practitioners, especially in impoverished areas.

A reform plan for Central School of Communist Youth League of China was adopted at the meeting. Participants agreed that the school should make innovation in school running and place emphasis on political training to provide talent support for the Party’s work on youth and the Communist Youth League of China.

The meeting passed a regulation on legislation, which requires consultation and third-party evaluation before making laws involving major adjustment of interests or those arousing wide controversies.

Legislative organs should play a better role in expressing, balancing and adjusting social interests and ensure each legislation conforms to the spirit of the Constitution and the people’s will and win public support, said the statement.

The leading group also passed a guideline on deepening reform in trials of intellectual property cases, urging efforts to improve the intellectual property litigation system, expanding the establishment of courts dedicated to intellectual property trials, and improve judges’ professional quality to encourage innovation in science and technology.