Residents sit with community workers in a neighborhood square to discuss the problems they face in their daily lives in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, in May. LI SHURONG/XINHUA

After her suggestions related to new energy vehicles were addressed last year, national legislator Cao Jingfang plans to continue advocating for the people's interests in the automotive sector again this year.

Last year, during the second session of the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, Cao, a National People's Congress deputy from Shandong province, made suggestions on strengthening after-sales services for NEVs.

The deputy, who also works at a power plant in Zouxian county, called for vocational schools to add courses or offer training for NEV maintenance technicians and to establish a public spare parts supply platform.

The reason for the suggestions stemmed from the fact that many NEV owners had told her they had encountered problems in finding skilled technicians and high repair costs.

"I was elected by the people. It's my duty to speak for them and help solve difficulties they face in work and daily life," she said.

However, Cao didn't expect that her suggestions would receive the amount of attention from the NPC Standing Committee that they actually did. It prompted government departments involved in the NEV industry, including the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, to increase communication with Cao to learn more about her concerns and take action to address the issues.

As a result, the job category of NEV maintenance technician has been included in China's occupational catalog. The training and selection of outstanding technicians have also been improved, with maintenance skills competitions organized nationwide.

This process for handling suggestions from deputies is set to be standardized in a draft amendment to the Law on Deputies to the National People's Congress and to the Local People's Congresses at Various Levels.

The draft amendment is due to be reviewed by Chinese legislators at the third session of the 14th NPC, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Beijing.

This means that all stages of the suggestions-related process, including making, communication, handling, response and feedback are expected to be formalized in legal terms.

"It will further encourage deputies to fulfill our duties and, more importantly, help effectively solve difficulties raised by the people," Cao said.