Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao chaired four meetings of non-Communist parties from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1 on his government work report at the third session of the National People's Congress (NPC), which is due on March 5.

Personalities from various walks of life, including experts from eco-social spheres, and those from science and technology, education, health, culture and sports circles were invited to the meetings and asked to air views on the report, which sums up the government work in the past year and sets forth tasks for 2005.

"To do a good job of government work, it is imperative to give scope to democracy, encourage the free airing of views, and accept supervision consciously to improve our work, while maintaining close ties with the masses of people and working for their interest," Wen said at one of those meetings.

Participants of the meeting unanimously endorsed the framework and main contents of the report, and also raised some ideas and set forth a couple of proposals for making specific revisions on the report as well as further improving the government work.

At the meeting attended by leaders of democratic parties, the participants offered suggestions in a wide range of areas, including the development of rural economy, macro-control, energy conservation, land management and building a harmonious society.

At the meeting of economic and social experts and scholars, the participants called for going on enhancing and improving macro-control and banning blind pursuit of high economic growth rate in some regions.

At another meeting on the work of science, education, health, culture and sports, Yang Zhigao, headmaster of an outlying rural school in southwestern Yunnan Province, called for increased support to compulsory education in rural areas inhabited by ethnic minority people.

At the meeting attended by representatives of business communities, including five senior executives of large state-owned firms, three private business leaders and the head of one Sino-foreign joint venture, the participants raised their views on the retooling of the state-owned enterprises, and the growth of non-public economic sectors. They also acknowledged that macro-control has created better conditions for the development of their enterprises.

Premier Wen thanked the participants for their views and suggestions and pledged that the State Council would seriously consider them in the course of revising the report and in future government work.

The Communist Party of China (CPC), the party in power, is attaching greater importance to stepping up multi-party cooperation and political consultation, saying that it is of "great importance" to developing and carrying forward socialist democracy, maintaining social stability and unity, and building a socialist harmonious society.

The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a meeting on Jan. 24 to discuss a draft of guidelines on further strengthening the construction of the system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC.

The guidelines will be officially issued after further solicitation of views from the central committees of democratic parties and representatives of personages without party affiliation.

Editor: Olivia