Government restructuring plan a hot issue
Rising inflation and a massive governmental restructuring plan are among the hot issues expected to be discussed by the more than 2,000 delegates of the mainland's political consultative body during its conference, which runs from today until March 14.
These topics, along with macroeconomic control, climate change and boosting employment, were raised in 354 proposals and 238 written speeches that have been submitted to the 11th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), according to its spokesman, Wu Jianmin .
Mainlanders are expecting higher inflation after the consumer price index hit an 11-year high of 7.1 per cent in January. Food prices have been rising since the middle of last year, and the situation was exacerbated by the worst snowstorms in five decades, which hit most mainland provinces in January and early last month, pushing up prices of pork, vegetables and edible oil.
The delegates are also concerned about the ministry's streamlining plans, which include the creation of 'superministries' by merging ministries to reduce bureaucratic overlap and boost efficiency. The plans are expected to be approved by the National People's Congress session, which starts on Wednesday.
Speaking ahead of the CPPCC annual conference today, Mr Wu said: 'The delegates are concerned about policies related to reform and development and issues concerning the people's livelihood.'
He reiterated the consultative, supervision and political participation functions of the CPPCC when asked to comment on a Guangzhou delegate's attack last month on the Ministry of Railways for its handling of the transport havoc caused by the blizzards.