We improved the mechanism for coordinating financial monitoring and regulation efforts and effectively prevented and defused financial risks. We have pressed ahead with the strategy of innovation-driven development by strengthening the application and protection of patents, investigating patent infringements and holding those involved accountable in accordance with the law, and encouraging industries to enhance their competitiveness by seeking progress in technological innovation and brand building.

Efforts toward streamlining administration, delegating the power or canceling the requirement for government review for more items, and delegating more powers to lower-level governments have all drawn great attention from NPC deputies and the public. The Standing Committee listened to and deliberated on the State Council's report on deepening reform of the government review system and accelerating the transformation of government functions, and conducted a special inquiry on the matter.

While fully acknowledging the achievements made thus far, the Standing Committee also pointed out that such problems as holding onto the power of review through hidden means, placing superficial work above real results, and ineffective oversight and poor service still exist in some local governments and government bodies. We emphasized that in order to solve these problems, the government must strictly enforce the Administrative Approval Law, make substantive progress in streamlining administration and delegating powers, cancel non-administrative review, and comprehensively enhance the quality of public services it provides.

The State Council acted accordingly to strengthen efforts in streamlining administration and delegating powers to lower levels, and put forth new measures aimed at standardizing practices of review of State Council bodies and improving work relating to government review.

2. We strengthened review and oversight over budgets and final accounts.

In performing its duty of conducting review and oversight over government budgets and final accounts in accordance with the law, the Standing Committee listened to and deliberated over reports on final accounts, auditing work, and the implementation of budgets, and reviewed and approved the central government's final accounts for 2013.

We required the State Council and relevant departments to tighten up budgetary management by improving the system of managing all government revenue and expenditure, refining the system of government debt management, and increasing the review and integration of special transfer payments. We also urged relevant authorities to rectify problems discovered in auditing and ensure accountability for them.

Last December, the State Council reported to the Standing Committee on the rectification and handling of problems discovered in auditing. According to the report, audited departments had rectified problems involving a total of 106.25 billion yuan, the amount of funds recovered or prevented from loss totaled 3.39 billion yuan, and 3,122 regulations were made or improved based on suggestions from the auditing bodies.

The Standing Committee attached great importance to and oversaw the allocation and use of government funds for water conservancy. We made suggestions on increasing and effectively allocating government funds on water conservancy, improving the system of integrated water-related management and the mechanism for sharing the cost of conservation and compensating for impact on water ecosystems, and strengthening management of government funded projects and performance-based management. After overseeing the allocation and use of government funds for science and technology in 2013, we again oversaw allocation and use of government funds in a particular area, in a positive effort to strengthen budget oversight by the NPC.

3. We helped provide safeguards for and improve the standard of living.

The social security system affects the most immediate interests of our people; everyone is concerned about what kind of social security benefits they will be able to depend on in their old age.

The Standing Committee listened to and deliberated on the State Council's report on coordinating efforts to develop urban and rural social security systems, and conducted an inquiry on the issue. We urged relevant government departments to strengthen top-level design, proactively respond to the issue of the aging of the population, improve the system of government spending, divert some state capital to strengthen social security funds, make unified national plans for basic pensions, strengthen supervision and oversight over the investment and operation of social security funds, improve the system for social assistance, and accelerate the formation of a more equitable and sustainable social security system.

Building a new countryside is a historic task in the course of China's modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping has said on several occasions, "Rural living standards are the measure of success in our drive toward moderate prosperity in China."

The Standing Committee has been continuously following up the work regarding agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents. Last year we made promoting the building of a new countryside a topic for our oversight work, and listened to and deliberated on a report concerning this issue. For deep-seated problems hindering agricultural and rural development, we stressed the need to improve the systems and mechanisms for integrating urban and rural development, make the plans for building a new countryside more workable, forward-looking, and inclusive, improve the long-term mechanisms for fiscal and financial support, improve the infrastructure and living environment in rural areas, and comprehensively improve rural basic public services, thereby bringing fundamental changes to rural areas.

In recent years, we have seen the frequent occurrence of accidents involving minors and crimes affecting their safety, an issue which has caused concern among NPC deputies and people from all sectors of society.

In response to this, and with emphasis being placed on the need to protect the safety of minors, the Standing Committee conducted a nationwide inspection of the enforcement of the Law on the Protection of Minors. We pressed for relevant government departments to work together in a coordinated way on this issue, strengthen the protection of minors, crack down on crimes against them in accordance with the law, and create an enabling social environment for caring for and protecting minors. (More)


Full Text: Work report of NPC Standing Committee (6)