IV. Actively invigorating foreign relations work

We steadfastly complied with and served China's overall diplomacy; increased friendly contacts with congresses and parliaments of other countries and multilateral parliamentary organizations in a planned, focused manner; and played an important role in promoting the comprehensive development of relations between China and other countries and safeguarding the important period of strategic opportunities for China's development.

We successfully hosted the fifth meeting of the cooperation council consisting of the NPC, the Russian Federation Council and the State Duma of Russia, at which the participants systematically reviewed the invaluable experience gained from contacts between the legislative bodies and stressed that these contacts should take developing relations between the two countries as their fundamental orientation, promoting pragmatic cooperation as their main content, and developing lasting friendship as their primary task. We continued to strengthen exchanges with the United States Congress, the National Diet of Japan, the French National Assembly and the European Parliament under a mechanism of regular exchanges, and successfully initiated exchanges based on a similar mechanism with the National Assembly of South Africa. We used these exchanges to conduct frank dialogue, deepen contacts, and increase consensus with them on matters of common concern in light of changes in the international situation and the participating countries' development needs. We vigorously developed friendly contacts with other countries through special committees or friendship groups on various levels, through which we exchanged experience in state governance, legislative oversight, economic development and improvement of the people's well-being. We actively participated in the activities of multilateral parliamentary organizations and safeguarded the legitimate demands and common interests of developing countries.

In the course of our foreign relations work, we convincingly demonstrated China's development achievements with incontrovertible facts and detailed data, thoroughly explained our foreign policy of friendship and partnership with our neighbors, and widely publicized our principle that China will unswervingly adhere to the path of peaceful development and will always be a positive factor and staunch force safeguarding world and regional peace and promoting development for all.

V. Unremittingly improving ourselves

People's congresses are organs of state power and important political institutions. Strengthening self-improvement of the Standing Committee, especially its ideological and political development, is of vital importance for doing all the NPC's work well.

On July 1 last year, General Secretary Hu Jintao of the CPC Central Committee delivered an important speech at a meeting celebrating the 90th anniversary of the founding of the CPC, in which he systematically reviewed the Party's brilliant history and invaluable experience over the past 90 years and thoroughly expounded major issues pertaining to upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. This speech has immense and far-reaching significance for comprehensively carrying forward the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics under the new circumstances. The speech focused on expounding the basic meaning and great significance of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and stressed the need to continue to vigorously expand socialist democratic politics, make greater use of the advantages of our socialist political system, and provide better institutional guarantees for prosperity, development, and lasting political stability of the Party and the country. Members of the Standing Committee and special committees conscientiously studied and deeply understood the guiding principles of the speech in light of the actual work of the NPC, and unanimously agreed that this important speech charted the course for upholding and improving the system of people's congresses and doing the work of the NPC well under the new circumstances. They also agreed that all comrades working at the NPC should consciously bring their thinking and actions in line with the guiding principles of the speech and uphold and improve the system of people's congresses from the strategic perspective of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.