For the third year in a row, I was invited to participate in the meetings of the Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) as an "overseas observer delegate" (OOD). I must admit it is both a privileged experience and an exceptional opportunity to be able to participate in China's political consultative process, albeit at a municipal level, Tianjin is a centrally administered municipality, and in an indirect manner.

The CPPCC is a unique feature of China's political system. Many outsiders mistake it as the upper house of China's legislature. But unlike the US federal and most state levels and many other British Commonwealth countries with bicameral legislatures, China has a unicameral law-making system at all levels, with the National People's Congress (NPC) as the sole house of its "parliament."

As I understand it, the CPPCC, on the other hand, was meant to be an advisory body enabling representatives from various political, social, economic, cultural and other important groups to engage in constructive political consultations with the aims of enhancing China's overall development and well-being. Proposals devised by the CPPCC are often taken up by the NPC and after further deliberations may be enacted into laws.

But for me, the most amazing aspect of CPPCC's composition is the inclusion of OODs such as myself. OODs could take part in most of the CPPCC activities, including both the plenary and the break-out sessions. But unlike the "usual" delegates, OODs cannot vote for proposals.

This year's Tianjin Municipal Committee of the CPPCC meeting series kickstarted informally with what in Malaysian parliament would be called a "pre-council" or briefing session in the evening, where delegates were advised of the new rules and requirements of the meetings over the next few days.  

The next morning, braving a temperature of -15°C that was a half-century record low for Tianjin, we were bused to CPPCC Tianjin's Grand Hall to attend the opening ceremony. The new chairman of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC Tianjin Municipal Committee delivered a summary of the consultative body's works over the past year. In the afternoon, we took part in a discussion session on how to improve even further CPPCC Tianjin Municipal Committee's efforts. The day after, all of the CPPCC delegates were ushered to "observe" the opening ceremony of Tianjin's People's Congress. The main item of the agenda was the delivery of a "working report" on Tianjin's progress over the last year by the mayor.

I noticed that last year Tianjin registered an annual growth rate of 12.4 percent, almost doubling the national rate of 6.9 percent and the highest among the provinces and regions. It is an impressive growth amid what has come to be called a "new normal" or the slower but steadier economic environment in China which has worried more than a few seasoned observers.

I hastened to make my voice heard during the afternoon discussion session on the mayoral working report. I was of the somewhat contrarian opinion that the "new normal" economic state is not necessarily detrimental to China. Instead it provided a golden opportunity for China to meditate upon its developmental model. I highlighted the importance of quality assurance, enhanced intellectual property protection, as well as environmental preservation, all of which could sometimes drown in the loud clamor for quantitative growth.

I also drew upon Tianjin's envied location at the confluence of both the continental and maritime Silk Roads as well as a potential starting point of the North Sea Route which has also received much attention in recent years. 

Coupled with its colorful past which saw intimate interaction with the international community, Tianjin, in pursuit of its positioning in China's "One Belt, One Road" initiatives, should assiduously build up its reputation as a high-end service center for the financial and logistics sectors. This should include dispute resolution services such as arbitration and mediation. Tianjin's more illustrious universities should also take the bold move of setting up overseas campuses to accelerate its internationalization process.

Although I had to cut short my CPPCC Tianjin Municipal Committee meetings participation this year due to other commitments back home, I appreciate the opportunity of having my views on China and Tianjin's future developments be officially considered and, hopefully, adopted.

The author is a senior fellow with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn