As he extended Chinese New Year greetings to non-Communist Party groups, Chinese President Xi Jinping also urged these groups to contribute more to achieving the nation's goals for this year.
Xi made the call during a gathering in Beijing on Friday. He said that all of the work and effort put in by the various non-Communist Party-affiliated organizations to provide suggestions for the improvement of governance was well appreciated. Xi added that the ideas coming from them have proved valuable for their work, Xinhua reported.
The Chinese leader then called on the groups to further contribute to meeting the goals outlined in the 13th Five-Year Plan for 2016-2020. He said that non-communist groups and personalities can act as think tanks who could provide valuable advice in dealing with difficult issues in areas like economic reform and development.
Xi also encouraged the groups to give democratic supervision to guarantee the success of the various reform measures. Continuous dialogue between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the groups, he said, is an important aspect of a consultative democracy that suits Chinese needs.
According to Xi, China has made great leaps under the leadership of the CPC, overcoming many challenges and improving national strength and being able to exert influence on the international scene. He stressed that the whole nation needs to come together to continue the developmental path laid down by the party and move forward.
Xi earlier delivered a similar message to military veterans during a concert for them, the Global Times reported. The president also serves as chairman of the Central Military Commission.