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BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 7 March 2026 – CGTN published an article on the opening meeting of the fourth session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee. Reviewing the work of the CPPCC National Committee in 2025 in areas like its consultative and deliberative work and assisting in the formulation of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the article highlights the CPPCC’s role as a dedicated consultative body through which people’s democracy is practiced.
Committed to addressing the difficulties regarding people’s livelihood through the rule of law, Pi Jianlong, a lawyer and a national political advisor, has spent years going deep into factories, workshops, law firms and juvenile probation and rehabilitation centers, making sure that his proposals, grounded in rigorous field research, are precise, practical and responsive to real needs.
Noting the predicament faced by food delivery riders, including the lack of contracts, social security and basic protection, he proposed targeted suggestions such as innovating social security models and strengthening platform responsibilities. In 2025, platforms such as JD.com and Meituan successively introduced social security plans, providing full social insurance coverage for full-time riders and accident and medical insurance for part-time riders.
Awarded for his outstanding performance in 2025 by the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee recently, Pi exemplifies the commitment of thousands of CPPCC members to serving the people through high-quality duty fulfillment, underscoring the CPPCC’s role as a major vehicle through which people’s democracy is practiced.
On Wednesday afternoon, China’s top political advisory body, the CPPCC National Committee, kicked off its annual session in Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping, together with other leaders, attended the opening meeting of the fourth session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee.
99.9% proposals handled
Acting as a dedicated consultative body, the CPPCC has pooled extensive consensus and strength to support the successful conclusion of the 14th Five-Year Plan and a solid start to the 15th Five-Year Plan over the past year, injecting strong vitality into the practice of whole-process people’s democracy – a key concept put forward by Xi himself to advance China’s political landscape.
Over the years, China has made all-around progress in improving the institutions, standards and procedures of socialist democracy and advanced socialist consultative democracy by way of extensive participation.
According to a work report delivered at the opening meeting, in 2025, the CPPCC National Committee received 5,992 proposals from its members, of which 5,061 were accepted for processing. The response rate for the accepted proposals stood at 99.9%.
The CPPCC National Committee members carried out 6,778 activities to serve the people, along with 11,115 outreach activities engaging people from relevant sectors. These efforts benefited more than 4 million people.
By innovating consultative and deliberative methods, improving consultative democracy institutions, and fostering a culture of consultation, the CPPCC has further strengthened its role in promoting democracy and offering policy advice while building consensus.
Over the past year, the CPPCC National Committee held 98 consultative and deliberative events, ranging from promoting the country’s green and low-carbon transition for the 15th Five-Year Plan and developing the silver economy to improving and innovating social governance. These efforts demonstrate that consultative democracy is grounded in reality and responsive to public needs, pooling support, consensus, wisdom and strength to advance Chinese modernization.
Securing a strong start to the 15th Five-Year Plan
Supporting the formulation of the 15th Five-Year Plan serves as a key task of the CPPCC in 2025, representing a vivid practice of whole-process people’s democracy.
From May 20 to June 20 last year, China launched an online public consultation to gather opinions for its next five-year plan. The initiative drew over 3.11 million valid submissions, yielding more than 1,500 constructive suggestions across 27 topics.
A summary of these findings was submitted to the Party leadership, ensuring that the people’s voices were heard at the highest level. By September, a total of 2,112 suggestions had been collected from various regions, departments and sectors, resulting in 218 revisions to the document.
To contribute to the 15th Five-Year Plan, the CPPCC, over the past year, held a special standing committee meeting and carried out 54 special studies, yielding a series of high-quality outcomes. Meanwhile, it launched a special research column, publishing 55 issues to provide evidence-based references for policy-making.
This broad-based participation highlights that national development strategies are rooted in public will, gathering strong momentum for Chinese modernization.
According to the work report, in 2026, the CPPCC will conduct in-depth research and thorough consultations on major tasks and strategic measures of the 15th Five-Year Plan and carry out cross-committee, cross-sector and cross-disciplinary studies, aiming to put forward forward-looking, targeted and operable policy suggestions, according to the report.
Focusing on key issues in areas such as economic development, technological innovation, reform and opening up, social development, and people’s livelihood, the CPPCC will truthfully reflect public opinions based on facts and implement the CPPCC National Committee’s democratic oversight work plan during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
For more information, please click: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-03-04/How-China-builds-consensus-boosts-growth-via-consultative-democracy-1LeSOfZLbk4/p.html
Hashtag: #CGTN
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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Government officials confirmed that a warship from Iran was granted permission to dock at a naval facility in Kochi shortly before another vessel from the same flotilla was sunk by a United States submarine in the Indian Ocean, an episode that has drawn global attention to maritime diplomacy and escalating naval tensions around South Asia.
The vessel, identified as IRIS Lavan, sought permission to enter Kochi harbour citing technical problems while sailing in the region. Authorities approved the request, allowing the ship and its crew to remain at the naval base as a humanitarian measure after Tehran asked for urgent assistance. Around 183 sailors from the ship were accommodated at naval facilities after the vessel reached the port.
The docking occurred against the backdrop of a widening military confrontation involving Washington and Tehran. Only days later, the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was torpedoed by a United States submarine near the southern coast of Sri Lanka, killing at least 87 sailors and triggering a rescue operation by Sri Lankan authorities.
Officials explained that the decision to allow the Iranian ship to dock was based on established maritime norms requiring assistance to vessels in distress. External affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the vessel had asked for access to a port and authorities responded on humanitarian grounds.
The IRIS Dena had been returning from international naval events hosted along the eastern seaboard, including a fleet review and exercises involving several foreign navies. The frigate, part of Iran’s Moudge-class warship programme, had previously participated in naval engagements aimed at expanding cooperation between regional maritime forces.
Military analysts say the sequence of events highlights how the expanding confrontation between Iran and the United States is spilling into waters far from the Persian Gulf. The submarine strike on the Dena marked one of the rare occasions in modern naval warfare when a surface warship was destroyed by a torpedo attack launched from a submarine.
According to defence officials and maritime observers, the attack occurred about 40 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s coast near Galle. A distress signal transmitted from the frigate prompted an immediate search and rescue operation by the Sri Lanka Navy and Air Force, which recovered survivors and bodies from the water.
The episode has placed India’s maritime diplomacy under scrutiny as regional tensions intensify. Authorities emphasised that the docking of the Iranian vessel was not connected to the military escalation and was conducted in line with international maritime conventions governing emergency access to ports.
Diplomats familiar with the situation indicated that Tehran had contacted authorities seeking temporary refuge for one of its ships after mechanical problems developed during its voyage in the Indian Ocean. Permission was granted for the vessel to dock in Kochi while the crew remained under naval supervision.
Another Iranian vessel operating in the region also encountered difficulties. The ship IRIS Bushehr reported engine trouble while sailing near Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone, prompting authorities there to escort it to harbour and relocate more than 200 sailors to a naval facility near Colombo.
The developments illustrate the complex position regional governments face as the confrontation between Washington and Tehran spreads beyond West Asia. Both powers maintain strategic ties with several countries around the Indian Ocean, leaving governments to balance diplomatic relations while responding to humanitarian requests at sea.
Strategic experts note that the Indian Ocean has long served as a vital corridor for energy shipments and naval deployments. The presence of Iranian vessels in the region had increased in recent years as Tehran attempted to demonstrate blue-water naval capabilities and deepen engagement with foreign maritime forces.
The Dena itself had previously taken part in international naval gatherings designed to encourage cooperation on maritime security, anti-piracy operations and humanitarian missions. Participation in those exercises underscored Iran’s attempt to portray its navy as an active participant in multinational maritime dialogue.
However, the destruction of the frigate has underscored how quickly cooperative settings can give way to confrontation during geopolitical crises. Analysts say the use of a submarine-launched torpedo against a warship outside the immediate conflict zone represents a striking demonstration of undersea warfare capabilities.
United States defence officials described the strike as a legitimate military action against an enemy naval vessel. Some legal experts have argued that attacking a military ship is permissible under the laws of armed conflict, though debate has emerged over the circumstances surrounding the incident and the obligations to rescue survivors.
Iranian authorities condemned the attack as an act of aggression and demanded the return of the bodies of sailors who died when the frigate sank. The incident has intensified diplomatic friction while raising questions about maritime security in waters linking the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
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