Jin Yingmei is a deputy to the local people's congress in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, China. /CGTN
The Two Sessions provide observers with an insight into the practice of democracy in China. How are deputies of people's congresses elected? What are their responsibilities at various levels of people's congress? CGTN explains.
Listening to others makes democracy work. Jin Yingmei is a deputy to the local people's congress in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in northeastern China's Jilin Province. From renovating old residential buildings to creating youth employment action plans, she represents the interests and the will of the people who elected her.
The election of deputies to the local people's congresses every five years is strictly prescribed by electoral law. And the role of the people's congress – the fundamental political system in China – ensures that the future and destiny of the nation remain in the hands of the Chinese people.
In China's Constitution, deputies to county and township-level people's congresses are directly elected by voters. These deputies elect deputies to higher-level people's congresses. Jin remembers her election last year like it was yesterday.
"I was first nominated by the local community as a candidate to deputies of people's congress of Yanbian. The list of candidates was made public before the election for assessment. The election was held by secret ballot, and the whole process was strictly supervised," said Jin.
Experts say that democracy is about solving problems for the people. To dig deeper into the people's congress system, CGTN visited the people's congress of Yanji city – a county-level state organ that oversaw Jin's election.
Yanji city is one of the county-level cities under the jurisdiction of Yanbian and it is also the seat of the prefecture government.
"We've thoroughly examined the profiles of the candidates at county and township-level congresses, mainly on their work ethic, morality and reputation. The candidates who didn't match the qualifications set by electoral law have been dismissed with no exceptions," said Fu Yanbo, the deputy director of the standing committee of the people's congress of Yanji city.
The newly elected National People's Congress deputy Cai Hongxing is the head of Yanbian University, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, China. /CGTN
While deputies like Jin have decision-making responsibilities at their corresponding levels, the deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) address major issues at the state level.
The newly elected NPC deputy Cai Hongxing, who is President of Yanbian University, shared some of the suggestions he plans to put forward during the political season.
"As an NPC deputy from the education sector, I've prepared several suggestions on how to boost university participation in national projects of science and technology. And also, universities should take a more proactive role in the commercialization of technological achievements," Cai told CGTN.
Throughout the thousands of years of human history, there has never been a universal model for democracy. According to the country's constitution, the essence of socialist democracy in China is that the people are the masters of the country.
