Li Hongzhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and vice-chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, has called for greater efforts to improve the work related to people's congresses and to lift whole-process people's democracy to new heights.

Li made the remarks when he conducted an inspection in East China's Zhejiang province and Shanghai municipality from April 18 to 19.

During a visit to the Hangzhou-based Exhibition Hall for the 1954 Constitution, Li reviewed the great journey made by the Chinese people in the formulation and implementation of the Constitution under the leadership of the CPC. He also visited residential communities and villages in Hangzhou, inspected the operation of grassroots legislative outreach offices and NPC deputy contact centers, learned of the progress made by local governments in promoting whole-process people's democracy and in the development of digital platforms to facilitate quick response of governmental departments to public concerns, and surveyed the work related to public-involved decision-making and grassroots social governance.

At the Gubei Civil Affairs Center and the Binjiang Urban Construction and Planning Exhibition Museum in Shanghai, he learned about the operation of grassroots legislative outreach offices and the application of online platforms designed to receive public opinion.

During his stay in Shanghai, Li attended a symposium on the promotion of whole-process people's democracy at the grassroots level.

Li said that Zhejiang and Shanghai have strengthened institutional building and made new achievements in the development of grassroots whole-process people's democracy over the past few years.

He emphasized that it is necessary to firmly adhere to the overall leadership of the CPC, uphold the unity between Party leadership, the running of the country by the people and law-based governance to ensure correct political orientation of whole-process people's democracy.

He underscored the efforts to comprehensively implement the Constitution, strengthen the institutions through which the people run the country and give full play to the roles of lawmakers in connecting with the people.

Endeavors should also be made to carry out studies and research, solicit public opinion on national affairs, make the voice and opinions of lawmakers heard, pool public wisdom, accelerate the high-quality building of grassroots legislative outreach offices, so as to further develop more institutional, standardized and procedure-based whole-process people's democracy, Li noted.