A delegation led by Zheng Jianbang, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), visited the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) on Dec 3 as part of a review of progress in handling proposals. 

The delegation of the Committee on Proposals of the CPPCC National Committee aimed to learn about the progress of the MOST in handling proposals since the First Session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee and collect suggestions to improve this work. The key proposal under review during the visit was about expediting efforts to achieve technological self-reliance in developing the country's industrial AI ecosystem. 

Zheng, also executive vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, said such visits aim to promote democracy, increase solidarity, offer proposals and build consensus. Consensus was reached with officials from the MOST, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Finance at the meeting, said Zheng. 

Zheng also called on the ministries to strengthen organizational and institutional guarantee and promote the implementation of reasonable suggestions from the proposals. He urged the CPPCC members to conduct well-grounded research and offer high-quality proposals about scientific and technological development. 

At the meeting, Wang Zhigang, secretary of the Leading Party Members Group and minister of the MOST, answered questions from the delegation. The MOST has undertaken the handling of 497 CPPCC proposals this year including four key initiatives. 

The MOST and the delegation also exchanged ideas on a broad range of issues including streamlining scientific and technological administration and delegating power to lower-level governments, improving research assessment and supervision and punishment, the continuity of some research projects, and the use of research expenditures.