Speech at the First Session of the 13th National People’s Congress
(March 20, 2018)
Li Zhanshu
On March 20th, the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress held a closing meeting in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The 13th Li Zhanshu, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the executive chairman of the conference, presided over the closing session and delivered a speech. Xinhua News Agency reporter Rao Aimin photo
Delegates:
I fully agree with and firmly support the important speech of the Chairman of the Supreme Leader. The important speech of the Supreme Leader Chairman will greatly inspire the fighting spirit of the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country, and will greatly inspire us to move towards a hopeful tomorrow with one heart and one mind!
Delegates!
At this meeting, the Supreme Leader was unanimously elected as President People’s Republic of China (PRC) and People’s Republic of China (PRC) chairman of the Central Military Commission, which is the collective will of nearly 3,000 NPC deputies and the common aspiration of more than 1.3 billion people of all ethnic groups in China. Comrade Supreme Leader is the core of the Party, the commander-in-chief of the army and the leader of the people, who is supported by the whole Party and loved by the people. He is the helmsman of Socialism with Chinese characteristics countries and the leader of the people in the new era. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core and under the guidance of Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought of the Supreme Leader in the New Era, the people of China are fully confident and capable of realizing the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Delegates!
The agenda of the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress has been successfully completed. The meeting completed the lofty task of amending the Constitution, deliberated and adopted the supervision law and the institutional reform plan of the State Council, deliberated and approved the government work report and other reports, and elected and decided to appoint the new leaders of state institutions. This is a conference that holds high the great banner of Socialism with Chinese characteristics and comprehensively implements Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought of the Supreme Leader in the new era and the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. It is also a conference that is democratic, united, realistic and progressive.
In the past five years, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core and under the auspices of Comrade Zhang Dejiang, the 12th National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee resolutely safeguarded the authority and centralized leadership of the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core, and performed their duties and responsibilities closely around the needs of the cause of the party and the people. The work of the National People’s Congress has made historic achievements, and the construction of socialist democracy and the rule of law has made great strides, making important contributions to promoting the development of the cause of the party and the country. Here, on behalf of the 13th National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee, I would like to pay high tribute to Comrade Zhang Dejiang, all the members of the 12th the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) and the deputies to the 12th National People’s Congress!
The 13th the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) was elected at this congress, and I was elected as the chairman. This is the trust of the delegates. We deeply feel that the mission is glorious and the responsibility is great. Together with all the delegates, we will faithfully implement the decision-making arrangements of the CPC Central Committee, faithfully safeguard the interests of the people, faithfully perform all the duties entrusted by the Constitution and laws, do our duty diligently, and never live up to the great trust of the delegates!
Delegates!
Constitution is the fundamental law of the country, with the highest legal status, legal authority and legal effect. The constitution is closely related to the future and destiny of the party and the country. The National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee should be loyal to the Constitution, abide by it, uphold it, fulfill its mission, ensure its implementation, and provide a strong constitutional guarantee for the development of the cause of the party and the state in the new era.
We must adhere to the guiding ideology of the country established by the Constitution. The guiding ideology is the spiritual banner of a political party and a country. Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought of the Supreme Leader in the New Era is the long-standing guiding ideology of our Party and the national guiding ideology established by the constitutional amendment. We must unswervingly implement the Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the new era into the political and social life of the country, build a common ideological foundation for the United struggle of the whole party and people of all ethnic groups, and lead the new era to uphold and develop Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s great practice.
We must adhere to the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s leadership position confirmed by the Constitution. History and people chose the Communist Party of China (CPC), the party led the people to formulate a constitution that embodies the unified will of the party and the people, the people consciously accepted the leadership of the party confirmed by the constitution, and the party itself also acted within the scope of the constitution. This is the historical logic, political logic and legal logic of upholding the leadership of the party. Adhering to the party’s leadership, the organic unity of the people being the masters of the country and governing the country according to law is the most fundamental thing. The National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee, as organs for the people to exercise state power, should consciously work under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee, perform their duties according to law around the decision-making arrangements of the CPC Central Committee, resolutely safeguard the authority and core position of the Supreme Leader General Secretary, resolutely safeguard the authority and centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core, and ensure that the party leads the people to effectively govern the country.
We must adhere to the fundamental task, development path and goal of the country established by the Constitution. China’s Constitution confirms the achievements of the Party leading the people in revolutionary construction and reform, which is the fundamental guarantee of the rule of law for the country and the people to always advance along the road of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. We must strengthen our road confidence, theoretical confidence, institutional confidence and cultural confidence, adapt to the major contradictions and changes in our society, better meet the people’s growing needs for a better life, and keep moving forward towards building a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious and beautiful socialist modern power.
We must adhere to the state system of the people’s democratic dictatorship established by the Constitution and the regime of the people’s congress system. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the people of China have realized more and more clearly from the rapid development and changes of the country that the people’s congress system has unparalleled superiority and strong vitality. We must firmly adhere to and improve the people’s congress system and constantly give full play to its advantages and characteristics.
Delegates!
The vigorous development of the party and state has put forward new and higher requirements for the work of the National People’s Congress. The 13th National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee should have a clear understanding of their mission, work hard and earnestly shoulder the lofty mission of persisting in and constantly improving the people’s congress system in the new era. It is necessary to effectively enhance political awareness, overall awareness, core awareness and awareness of conformity, consciously run the party’s leadership throughout the work of the National People’s Congress, and earnestly ensure that all important work and important matters are carried out around the overall situation of the work of the party and the state and under the leadership of the party. We should exercise legislative power, supervision power, decision power and appointment and removal power according to law, dare to take responsibility and be good at doing things, and earnestly perform the glorious duties entrusted by the party and the people. We should persist in taking the people as the center, exercise civil rights for the people, perform duties for the people and serve the people, consciously accept people’s supervision, and give full play to the role of deputies to the National People’s Congress, so that the National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee can become working organs that fully shoulder the responsibilities entrusted by the Constitution and laws and become representative organs that maintain close ties with the people.
Delegates!
Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. We are extremely excited that the Chinese nation has ushered in a great leap from standing up, becoming rich and becoming strong, and we are extremely proud that the great motherland is striding forward towards the goal of "two hundred years". Let’s unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core, hold high the great banner of Socialism with Chinese characteristics, thoroughly study and implement the Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the new era, fully implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the First, Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 19th National Congress, make concerted efforts, forge ahead with determination, work hard to accomplish the tasks set by this meeting, and win the Chinese dream of building a well-off society in an all-round way, winning the great victory of Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!