The fifth biweekly consultation meeting of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held in Beijing on June 9. Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, presided over the meeting. [Photo by Jiang Guidong]

 The 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held its fifth biweekly consultation meeting in Beijing on June 9, with a focus on advancing legal development to support the popularization of science and technology. 

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, said that it is important to align thinking and action with the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee, and to contribute wisdom and strength to achieving high-level technological self-reliance and building China into a great power in science and technology. 

He noted that the popularization of science and technology should be oriented to international sci-tech frontiers, major economic domains, national needs and people's lives and health. 

He urged for investigations and research as well as suggestions to help address underlying problems, strengthen public cognition of the Law on the Popularization of Science and Technology, accelerate the dissemination of scientific knowledge, and highlight social understanding of the historic achievements of sci-tech innovations and the significant contributions of Chinese scientists in solving global issues. 

CPPCC members and experts attending the seminar called for further efforts to promote the public science literacy by improving the relevant laws and regulations and the functions of science popularization, to more effectively coordinate resources between eastern and western regions and between urban and rural areas, and to enhance the development of the science popularization industry. 

They highlighted education of popular science among teenagers, especially education on frontier high-tech know-how and science ethics, to help them develop scientific thinking and ideals. They said that tougher supervision and administration of online science popularization should be executed to build a sound online ecosystem.