The closing meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 13, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Leader's remarks at closing of first session of 14th NPC focus on trust

National legislators vowed to better heed the call of the people and address their concerns after being inspired by the speech delivered by President Xi Jinping at the closing meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress on Monday.

Xi mentioned "people" many times in his speech, which shows that he always puts their interests first, and he has made addressing their concerns the top priority for the new central leadership, said Li Yanfeng, an NPC deputy from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and curator of a local library.

"As an NPC deputy, I will attach greater importance to listening to people's voices and helping them solve their problems during my term," said Li, a member of the Zhuang ethnic group.

Joya Bahet, an NPC deputy from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and staff member at the Altay Prefecture Culture Museum, vowed to take on more responsibility and not let the people down.

"As President Xi said, it's up to our generation to make the country stronger and pursue the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," said Joya, a member of the Kazak ethnic group. "I will carry out more research at the grassroots level during my term, so I can learn about people's needs and ensure that they can be properly addressed."

Xi said the people's trust is the biggest motivation that drives him to march on and shoulder a great responsibility.

"I will faithfully fulfill my responsibilities bestowed by the Constitution, with the nation's needs as my mission and the people's interests my yardstick."

Xi's words are from the bottom of his heart because he is truly devoted to the people and making China prosper, said Liu Rui, an NPC deputy from Zhejiang province and head of the Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University's Institute of Ecological Environment.

"Xi said it's his third term as the Chinese president, and he won't let the people down. And I believe not letting people down should be the goal of all NPC deputies, who bear greater responsibilities," Liu said.

John Lee Ka-chiu, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said it's "very encouraging" to hear Xi stressing the need to fully, faithfully and resolutely implement the policy of "one country, two systems" in his speech and emphasizing the importance of supporting the Hong Kong and Macao SARs in growing their economies, improving their people's lives, and better integrating themselves into the country's overall development.

"Hong Kong is an inseparable part of China. It has witnessed the progress made in the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation while taking part and making contributions in achieving the goal," Lee said in a statement.

He added that by successfully holding the first session of the 14th NPC and the first session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, people are more confident and better motivated in the new era of the country's development.