9,203 suggestions by national lawmakers under review

A total of 9,203 suggestions made by national lawmakers have been sent to 208 relevant departments for further review and handling, according to a report submitted to an ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for review on Wednesday.

The suggestions were collected from more than 2,200 deputies to the NPC, China's top legislature, when it held its annual plenary session in March, Guo Zhenhua, deputy secretary-general of the NPC Standing Committee, said while explaining the report.

After the NPC closed its plenary meeting, a number of deputies provided an additional 146 suggestions through an online platform, which have also been transferred to relevant authorities to deal with, he added.

More than half of the total suggestions focus on the country's development strategies in aspects such as science, technology, and culture, with some also focusing on people's livelihood, including education, healthcare, and the protection of women's rights, he said.

He highlighted the importance of receiving suggestions from deputies, as the advice and opinions from those who come from the people could truly reflect public concerns and urgent demands.

"The collection of suggestions is a process of implementing the whole-process people's democracy, which contributes us to finding problems, ensuring public voices can be heard and helping solve difficulties by rule of law," he added.

This year, the NPC Standing Committee called for government departments to take measures, including seminars, visits, websites and instant messaging platforms, to increase communication with deputies.

He also said it was glad to see some departments accept deputies' suggestions while making or revising regulations and guidelines.

For example, the China National Intellectual Property Administration adopted 13 pieces of suggestions from deputies when drafting 12 IP-related regulations, according to the report.

To improve the quality of suggestions from deputies with various occupations, such as farmers, workers and technicians, the NPC Standing Committee has also provided training to help them understand more about their duties, Yang said.

In addition, the departments responsible for suggestion handling have been required to give feedback to deputies, he added.