President Xi Jinping called on the country's non-Communist parties to make joint efforts with the Communist Party of China to work toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the remark at a symposium on Aug 30 with representatives of non-Communist parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and those without party affiliation, to collect advice and suggestions for the draft report to the 19th CPC National Congress. A statement about the symposium was released on Sunday.

The CPC will enhance cooperation with all democratic parties, strengthen and develop a united front of patriotism, collect the wisdom and capacity of the people from all walks of life, and develop the creativity of the whole society to achieve the goal of national rejuvenation, Xi said.

The meeting was also attended by Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan and Wang Qishan, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

During the symposium, Xi introduced the process of how the draft report was made, and he expressed hope that the non-Communist parties would speak freely over the draft.

Calling the country's democratic parities intimate friends of the CPC, Xi said it's a tradition that the CPC listens to the opinion of the non-Communist parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and those without party affiliation. Such a practice is also an important symbol of the socialist consultative democracy, he said.

Xi stressed that drafting the report is an important part of the preparation for the 19th CPC National Congress.

From the beginning of the drafting work, the CPC has aimed to produce a report that collects the wisdom of the Party, meets the demand of the people, has great guiding meanings for the country's development and has great influence over the international community, he said.

The advice and suggestions raised at the symposium were helpful in revising the draft report, and opinions from the representatives will be researched and taken into consideration in the revision, he added.

Xi said he hoped that the non-Communist parties could strengthen their political consensus of maintaining the leadership of the CPC and adhering to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Leaders and representatives of the non-Communist parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and those without party affiliation discussed the issues at the symposium. They agreed that the CPC, with Xi as the core, has made great achievements in building socialism with Chinese characteristics in the past five years.

The report, which elaborates on the historic changes since the 18th CPC National Congress, has brought forward a series of important thoughts, key opinions, major judgments and great measures, the representatives said while giving advice on issues such as tax reduction, rural reform, building an innovative country, supervision of power and building an ecological civilization.

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(China Daily 10/16/2017 page1)