BEIJING — Coordinating epidemic prevention and economic and social development, and eliminating poverty were among the main focuses of the proposals raised by political advisers last year, a senior political adviser said on Feb 23.

Li Zhiyong, director of the Committee for Handling Proposals of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, made the remarks at a press conference on the CPPCC's work in 2020.

Last year, 1,103 proposals from CPPCC members were handled by the National Health Commission (NHC), of which 291 were epidemic-related, said Liu Liqun with the NHC.

There were also key proposals from CPPCC members concerning poverty alleviation. They cover six aspects, such as establishing long-term poverty alleviation mechanisms.

Efforts were also made to improve efficiency. After the COVID-19 outbreak last year, the committee opened a dedicated channel to enable proposals on COVID-19 containment and other urgent issues to reach relevant governmental bodies in a timely manner, said Li.