"The work experiences of the NPC Standing Committee over the past five years have made us see more clearly that the people's congress system is a fundamental political system best suited to China's actual conditions," said Li in his report on the work of the 9th NPC Standing Committee to the ongoing first session of the 10th NPC.

Li said that NPC and its Standing Committee should conscientiously accept the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and implement to the letter and in spirit the Party's policies and guidelines while performing their duties according to law.

"We should translate CPC's guidelines into the will of the State through legal procedures, and take concrete steps to better integrate the upholding of CPC leadership with the efforts to make people true masters of the country and governing the country according to law," he said.

"This is the most important political principle we must stick to in the work of people's congresses, as well as the most fundamental political guarantee for the success of our work," he stressed.

Li pointed out that NPC is exercising the supreme power of the state on behalf of the entire people, and must, therefore, attach the utmost importance to safeguarding the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people and must conscientiously subject itself to the supervision by the people.

He went on to say that the people's congresses must correctly handle their relations with the governments, people's courts and people's procuratorates, performing their roles well in supervising the governments, people's courts and people's procuratorates, he added.

He also stressed the necessity for the people's congresses to display the pioneering spirit and creativity in theoretical and institutional innovations with regard to the work of people's congresses so as to live up to the expectations of the people.

(Xinhua News Agency March 10, 2003)