Netizens can offer their suggestions on China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) by leaving messages on the official website and social media account of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body.

Their ideas, which can be submitted starting March 1, will provide reference for more than 2,000 members of the CPPCC National Committee, including government officials, entrepreneurs, military officers, scholars and members of non-Communist parties, who will gather in Beijing this week for the fourth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee starting on March 4.

Discussion of the draft of 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 will be a significant item on the agenda for this year's two sessions — the annual meetings of China's top legislative and political advisory bodies.

Wang Yang, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, urged full preparations for this year's two sessions when he spoke at a meeting of the Chairperson's Council of the CPPCC National Committee in Beijing last week.

He said the event is of great importance for pooling strength and wisdom as the country starts a new journey in building a modern socialist nation.

"The CPPCC National Committee will continue to carry out consultative supervision following the implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan, which is of great significance for the CPPCC to play its role in the national governance system," Wang said.

He called on the special committees of the CPPCC National Committee to conduct in-depth investigations and studies, strengthen coordination and cooperation with other forms of supervision and offer relevant suggestions, thus contributing to fully building a modern socialist country.

In the past year, innovative methods were adopted by national political advisers, including putting forward proposals on major political and social issues for government and building consensus in society.

Last year, the CPPCC National Committee arranged 14 nationwide lecture tours by its members to explain and promote the country's major policies and tasks, including winning the battle against extreme poverty and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, as well as coordinating efforts to prevent and control the pandemic and promote socioeconomic development.

In September, two CPPCC National Committee members from the medical profession — Hu Yu, president of Wuhan Union Hospital of China, and Wu Hao, director of the Fangzhuang Community Health Center in Beijing — gave lectures in Wuhan, Hubei province, at which they shared their front-line experience in pandemic prevention and control.

To popularize the Civil Code and improve people's sense of rule of law, the Social and Legal Affairs Committee under the CPPCC National Committee organized its members with a legal background to help the public learn about it.

The Civil Code was adopted by the National People's Congress, the nation's top legislature, at last year's two sessions and took effect on Jan 1.

A column was launched in July on the website of the CPPCC's official newspaper, which publicizes the Civil Code by using specific case studies and also carries 58 educational videos. By Jan 31, the online publication had been read more than 62 million times, according to official data.

Lyu Hongbing, a national political adviser and vice-chairman of the All-China Lawyers Association who participated in the work, said he will suggest compiling and publishing a collection of case studies about the Civil Code at this year's two sessions.

Getting ready

As the plenary session draws near, national political advisers from various professional backgrounds are getting ready to submit their proposals, a major way for them to conduct political consultation on national affairs.

The Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, one of China's eight non-Communist parties, said it plans to send 46 proposals raised by its members to this year's session of the nation's top political advisory body. Many of the proposals will deal with education, such as improving the quality of county-level high schools.

The Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, another non-Communist party with many members in the health sector, said it will send 38 proposals, mainly focusing on medicine and healthcare, including improving the system for the prevention and control of major epidemics.

The CPPCC National Committee said national political advisers have carried out various forms of research in light of their own expertise and used the Internet to conduct research during the COVID-19 epidemic in the past year.

In June and July, the Economic Affairs Committee of the CPPCC National Committee surveyed more than 100 enterprises from 31 provinces about their concerns and suggestions on improving the business environment during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. This research report became an important reference for the central government.