Premier Li Keqiang presided over a swearing-in ceremony held by the State Council on Sept 29 in Beijing.

Thirty-one heads of 28 State Council departments and affiliated agencies, freshly appointed between December 2019 and September 2020, swore to uphold the Constitution in accordance with the law and the document on organizing the swearing-in ceremony.

Xiao Jie, state councilor and secretary-general of the State Council, declared the commencement of the ceremony at 11 am. All who attended the ceremony arose and sang the national anthem. The leader of the ceremony placed his left hand upon the Constitution, and took the oath. Others lined up behind him and repeated the oath.

After the oath, Premier Li asked each civil servant to learn the oath by heart and put it into practice. He urged everyone to be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and remain loyal to the Constitution and follow the laws.

He also asked them to serve the people, heart and soul, spare no efforts to solve people's concerns, and help them live a better life, with policies and reforms promoted and implemented. 

They should be brave to take their duties, bear in mind that development holds the key to and serves as the foundation for tackling all problems, and make new achievements with a bold, pragmatic and diligent attitude.

In addition, they should remain honest, clean, and disciplined, exercise their power without seeking personal gain, stay cautious, and cut down on expenditures to enrich the people.

Also attending the ceremony were Vice-Premiers Han Zheng, Sun Chunlan, Hu Chunhua, and Liu He, as well as State Councilors Wei Fenghe, Wang Yong, Wang Yi, and Zhao Kezhi. Senior officials from other departments under the State Council also attended the ceremony.