(Yicai) March 4 -- New quality productive forces in the economy and people’s well-being are major topics of discussion among members of the national committee of China’s top political advisory body, which opened its annual session in Beijing today.

This year’s Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is focused on practical measures to promote new quality productive forces, Liu Jieyi, deputy secretary-general and spokesperson of its national committee, said at a press conference yesterday.

The CPPCC is closely monitoring cutting-edge international trends and looking at topics such as bridging the gap between scientific and technological research and its real-world use, building regional innovation centers, and developing novel drugs, Liu said.

The CPPCC is one half of China’s so-called Two Sessions. The National People's Congress, the country’s top legislature, is scheduled to open its annual session in Beijing tomorrow.

The conference is also engaging in in-depth consultations on themes such as data factor markets and the use of artificial intelligence, analyzing ways and institutional mechanisms to promote the development of new quality productive forces, and will propose targeted, forward-looking policy recommendations for adoption by the authorities, Liu noted.

Technological innovation is one of the most important missions of central state-owned enterprises, Xin Feng, a CPPCC member and deputy general manager of China National Nuclear Corporation, told Yicai. He pointed out the need to the enhance the assessment and evaluation system, switching from a project basis to the appraisal of individual researchers to stimulate innovation.

Despite China’s numerous advances in AI, such as DeepSeek, the industry still faces severe challenges, Guo Yufeng, also a CPPCC member and deputy GM of chip developer Phytium Technology, told Yicai. These include unbalanced development of the industrial chain, a big gap between technologies and their industrial application, and intense domestic competition, he said.

China should promote collaborative innovation from a holistic perspective and create a fair competitive environment, Guo suggested.

With regards to people’s well-being, community hospitals should provide health management and daily care services for the elderly, according to Lu Xiaoming, another CPPCC member and vice chairman of the Guangdong provincial committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association.

This approach could meet the needs of older residents for family warmth and community support while addressing the issues of insufficient patient numbers and business at community hospitals, Lu noted.

Editor: Futura Costaglione