This year's the fourth session of the 12th National Committee of the CPPCC will kick off on March 3 and run until March 13th. The fourth annual session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) will open on March 5 in Beijing. With a population of 1.3 billion, China has become the world's second largest economy. Certainly China, under the leadership of the CPC, has made remarkable strides in economic, social and cultural fields in the past 20 years, lifting a half a billion people out of poverty. Chinese people have overcome major risks and challenges, and made great achievements in improving national strength in terms of economy, science and technology, defense, and international influence, over the past year. I hope that the Chinese people's well-being and China's future development will be the key theme in the upcoming annual two sessions of NPC and CPPCC.

In 2015 China achieved a GDP increase by 6.9%, ranking among world's top ones. The economic structure keeps optimizing; the Chinese people are living a constantly improving life. In 2015 China successfully concluded the 12th Five-Year Guideline; the eighteen session of the Fifth Plenary Session of Communist Party of China released the 13th five planning proposals which draw a new blueprint for China's future development. I fervently believe that the annual sessions of China's top legislature and top advisory body will focus on the implementation of the 13th five-year development program, a scientific approach to development, as well as the building of a new socialist countryside. China's 13th Five Year Plan, from 2016 to 2020, is important for China to build a moderately prosperous society in all aspects. The 13th five-year plan highlights innovation, coordination, green development, opening-up and sharing, as well as structural reforms and serving the well being of all society. It is widely expected that the 13th five-year plan will maintain economic development as its central focus and guarantee social equity and justice through rule of law, and encourage innovation.

The 13th five-year plan, the first under Chinese President Xi Jinping's leadership, is to map strategies for China's development with growth targets in the next 5-years. China is going to create new laws focusing on the protection of seniors' rights, comprehensive loan services and basic healthcare everyone. Legislation surrounding the protection of the maritime environment, poverty relief and food security has been prioritized during the 13th five-year plan. In the past five years, China has made remarkable progress in poverty reduction. China has lifted more than 600 million people out of poverty in the past 30 years, accounting for about 70 percent of those brought out of poverty worldwide. Dr. Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, said China has played a significant role in reducing poverty worldwide. Addressing the Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum held in Beijing on 10th October, 2015 President Xi Jinping confirmed poverty alleviation would be one of the main goals in the 13th five-year plan. I quote from his speech: "To build a well-off society in an all-round way, it's a solemn promise to our people. The government must make poverty alleviation the top priority, to ensure that all poor people live in a well-off society and enjoy essential social services by 2020." In 2016, China is expected to lift more people out of poverty, with Chinese President Xi Jinping declaring in his New Year speech, "We should care for all people facing difficulties, making them feel warm from the bottom of their hearts."

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