Representing a population of 1.3 billion

Updated: 2012-03-02 16:55

(Xinhua)

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BEIJING - Is it possible for 5,000 or so lawmakers and political advisors to represent China's population of 1.3 billion people?

With the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, set to convene its annual session in a few days, Yang Cuifang, an NPC deputy from southwest China's Sichuan province, is confident that she will be able to bring her constituency's voice to the nation's capital.

Yang plans to present several policy recommendations to the NPC, all of which were literally handwritten by Yang, since she doesn't know how to use a computer.

As her village's Communist Party of China (CPC) secretary, the 60-year-old Yang chooses to live in the countryside, although the rest of her family has moved to urban areas.

"To make policy recommendations, I don't have to do surveys on specific days. By walking around the villages within my constituency and talking to the electorate everyday, I know very well what's on their mind," Yang said.

Yang's recommendations largely focus on rural issues, such as children who are left behind by migrant parents who leave to work in large cities. Chances are good that the government will make efforts to tackle the problems she raises, as she has a good track record in terms of getting the attention of the government.

Liu Yonghao is chairman of the New Hope Group agricultural enterprise and a member of China's top political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, which will begin its own annual session two days ahead of the NPC.

Liu plans to make proposals about rural issues as well, although his presentation will come not in the form of pen on paper, but a digital slideshow.

"I will continue to call for attention to issues about rural development and advise the central government to prioritize a related issue every year," he said.

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