The Communist Party of China (CPC) has always attached great importance to and showed concern for the development of the undertakings of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said a spokesman of the CPPCC National Committee on Thursday.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, the spokesman spoke highly of the document entitled "The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee's Opinions on Strengthening the Work of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)", which was published on Wednesday.

The spokesman called the document "an important arrangement for strengthening the work of the CPPCC" made by the CPC Central Committee with Hu Jintao as the general secretary, in view of the overall development of the Party's and the Nation's undertakings.

The document reaffirms the CPPCC's enormous contribution to the country's political, economic and social life, its nature, status and role, as well as its historic tasks and working principles in the new century and the new period, according to the spokesman.

For the first time, it has made it clear that the CPPCC is an important component of the undertakings of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the spokesman said, noting that something new could be found in the document.

It also makes it clear that there are two forms of socialist democracy, namely elections and voting by the people and internal consultation among the people before important decisions are made, the spokesman noted.

The document has clarified the political status of the CPPCC and the political principles of the Political Consultation, urged CPC committees at all levels to attach great importance to the Political Consultation, and regularized the procedure of the Political Consultation, the spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, the leadership of the CPPCC National Committee has studied the opinions and ordered CPPCC organizations at all levels to study and implement them through holding seminars, training courses and workshops.

(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2006)