Members of China's top advisory body who heeded public opinions about key government policies and social issues of major concern had tabled more than 4,000 proposals for addressing related problems in the past year, said a senior official Thursday.

In a report delivered to the Third Session of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which opened Thursday afternoon in the national capital, Vice Chairman Zhang Huaixi of the CPPCC National Committee said that National Committee members had presented a total of 4,478 proposals over the past year, the majority of which had been transferred to relevant government departments.

"Some 99.15 percent of the proposals had been handled up to Feb.20 this year," he said.

Most of the proposals concentrated on major problems arising from social and economic development. "The proposals played an important role in promoting policy making in a scientific and democratic way, boosting the coordinated development of the socialist material civilization, political civilization and spiritual civilization, and building a harmonious socialist society," said Zhang.

Of the total proposals, 1,905, or 44.69 percent, were focused on economic issues, and 1,178 were related to development in the fields of science and technology, education, culture, health and sports, he said.

Members of the CPPCC National Committee also raised 1,180 proposals for promoting Party building and democracy, improving the social security system, maintaining national security and social stability, and promoting the peaceful reunification of the motherland.

This year, Zhang said, the CPPCC National Committee will continue to do a good job in handling the proposals of the members, with emphasis placed on improving the quality of proposals and trying to make sure that the members' proposals and suggestions are taken by related departments earnestly.

The CPPCC is a patriotic united front organization of the Chinese people. Its main functions are to conduct political consultation, exercise supervision and participate in the discussion and handling of state affairs, mainly through setting forth proposals and suggestions.

(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2005)