POLITICAL advisers and lawmakers from Shenzhen have brought a wide range of proposals to the annual sessions of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the National People’s Congress (NPC).

They will propose ideas on new infrastructure, dual development driven by construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Pilot Demonstration Area of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, COVID-19 prevention and control and livelihood guarantee.

Political advisers and deputies joined the Guangdong delegation to the two sessions and arrived in Beijing on Wednesday.

COVID-19 prevention and control is a focal point that political advisers care most about. Political advisers from Shenzhen have done research on this and will put forward suggestions.

“I will make my suggestions on improving public health and prevention and control of infectious diseases,” Chen Qianwen, vice chairwoman with the CPPCC Shenzhen Committee, said at an interview.

Though the country has effectively controlled COVID-19, the outbreak also exposed shortfalls in the public health and infectious disease prevention and control system. The shortfalls include dysfunction of institutional mechanism, inefficiency of treatment capability and insufficient supply of talented staff in the public health sector. Chen hoped the country’s public health system could be improved by drawing lessons from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Many advisers are also concerned about the survival of small and micro-sized enterprises under the impact of COVID-19 and will put forward proposals on the reduction of taxes, rent and incentives on loans.

Ken Chu, chairman of Mission Hills Group, suggests the country works out a tourism rejuvenation plan for the year 2020 and set aside special funds to boost tourism as the tourism sector has been so seriously affected by the COVID-19 and many tourism enterprises are facing difficulties ensuring employment of staff.

Nine deputies from Shenzhen are eligible for the NPC session this year. Pony Ma, chairman and CEO of Tencent, will be absent for health reasons, but he has prepared seven proposals.

Yang Xusong, member of the Party group of the Standing Committee of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Congress, is a new deputy to the national congress. Yang brought three proposals, including establishing a court specifically settling finance disputes and futures exchanges. The other deputies come from high-tech companies, the finance industry, higher learning institutes and the city government.

(Han Ximin)