The 13th National People's Congress, China's national legislature, is set to convene its fifth annual session on Saturday.
The following are some quotes from Chinese President Xi Jinping when he delivered a speech last October at a central conference on work related to people's congresses:
-- The people's congress system, made by Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, is a great creation in the history of political systems as well as a brand new system of great significance in the political history of both China and the world.
-- The whole-process people's democracy in China not only has a complete set of institutions and procedures, but also full participation.
-- The whole-process people's democracy in China is the broadest, most genuine and most effective socialist democracy.
-- The system of people's congresses is an important institutional vehicle for realizing whole-process people's democracy in China.
-- Under the leadership of the Party, the country will continue to expand the people's orderly political participation and strengthen legal protection for human rights to ensure that the people enjoy extensive rights and freedoms as prescribed by law.
-- Democracy is not an ornament for decoration; it is to be used to solve the problems faced by the people.