Jia Qinglin Chairman of CPPCC. Photo: Xinhua

The first session of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) opened in Beijing on Sunday. Present were General Secretary Xi Jinping, President Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the National People’s Congress, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, other top officials, and more than 2200 representatives. At the opening ceremony, Jia Qinglin Chairman of CPPCC called for a focus on Chinese socialism that includes studying and grasping the spirit of the 18^th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, consulting to build a balanced society, and improving the socialist democratic consultation mechanism. The session will conclude next Tuesday.