A visit to the relevant departments responsible for handling proposals from the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) has been an effective way to ensure progress in turning ideas into reality. This year, the Committee on Proposals of the CPPCC National Committee has made a new breakthrough in improving the supervision of key proposals via such visits. 

The breakthrough was achieved after the guideline on the selection and supervision of key proposals from the CPPCC National Committee was amended. There are now five ways to spur and oversee proposal follow-up – a review by the CPPCC members, an investigation and study of key proposals being handled, a consultation meeting, a brief report, and a visit to the relevant departments. 

The CPPCC National Committee identified 73 key proposals in 2020. Delegations of the Committee on Proposals concluded four visits to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), and the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA), each time with a focus on certain key proposals. 

Yuan Yaxiang and Wang Xianjin, both members of the CPPCC National Committee, are behind the suggestion to expedite efforts to achieve technological self-reliance in the country’s industrial artificial intelligence ecosystem, a key proposal under the charge of the MOST. During the visit on Dec 3, they had face-to-face talks with top officials from the ministry and also learned about the latest efforts in boosting AI development. 

After listening to Wang’s ideas on combining AI with the real economy, Miao Shaobo, secretary-general of the MOST, said the ministry has backed 13 new AI innovative development pilot zones and guidelines have also been released to support AI projects, channeled through the S&T Innovation 2030 initiative. 

In the meeting, Wang Zhigang, minister of the MOST, also took questions from the delegation over a broad range of issues, such as academic integrity and development of an integrated chip. The ministry undertook the handling of four prioritized proposals. 

The Committee on Proposals regards such visits as critically important to strengthening communication with the undertaking departments, becoming familiar with their work procedures, and keeping them informed of new policy updates. The meetings also help exchange ideas, build consensuses, accelerate the progress of proposal handling, and collect suggestions to further improve proposal quality in the future. 

During the visit to the NCHA on Nov 27, CPPCC National Committee member Gao Jie was keen to learn about the progress in handling his proposal on preservation of cultural heritages. In response, Guan Qiang, deputy director of the NCHA, introduced the three key programs launched by the administration and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, including efforts in alignment with a draft revision to the law on cultural heritage protection. 

Since the First Session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, which was held in March 2018, the Committee on Proposals has organized visits by nearly 300 CPPCC members to 12 ministries and agencies responsible for handling various proposals. 

It's worth noting that the visits also received high attention from the undertaking agencies. The leading officials of the agencies were always present to be ready to give replies to proposals and exchange ideas with the Committee on Proposals delegations.