1. We upheld the CPC's leadership.

The leadership of the CPC is the fundamental guarantee for ensuring that the people are masters of their country, following the rule of law, strengthening the democratic legal system, and doing legislative work well. The CPC represents the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people, and the principles and policies formulated by the Party and its legislative proposals pool the collective wisdom of the whole Party and country and embody the common will of the overwhelming majority of the people. Upholding the leadership of the Party is entirely the same as subordinating oneself to the interests of the people. We upheld the leadership of the Party throughout our legislative work and ensured that through legal procedures, the views of the Party become the will of the state as well as the standards and norms of conduct the whole society abides by. We worked to provide an institutional and legal guarantee that the line, policies and principles of the Party are implemented and that reform, opening up and socialist modernization proceed smoothly. With our focus firmly on the central task of the Party and country, we made overall plans for legislative work, scientifically formulated legislative programs and plans, and actively advanced key legislative projects to ensure that major decisions and arrangements of the Party and government are carried out. We also promptly reported to the CPC Central Committee major and difficult legislative problems we encountered. In short, all of our laws and regulations were enacted under the leadership of the Party, and all the laws and regulations that we enact must be conducive to strengthening and improving the leadership of the Party, consolidating and improving the Party' s governing status, and ensuring that the Party leads the people in effectively governing the country.

2. We continued to be guided by the socialist theoretical system with Chinese characteristics.

Adhering to the correct guiding thought is a fundamental prerequisite for strengthening the democratic legal system and doing our legislative work well. The socialist theoretical system with Chinese characteristics is a scientific theoretical system which includes major strategic thinking such as Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development. It is the latest achievement in Sinicizing Marxism, and the most valuable political and intellectual wealth of our Party. It is the common ideological foundation upon which the people of all our ethnic groups work in unity, the guiding thought we must adhere to for a long time to come, and a fundamental guideline for success in all our work. Throughout our legislative work, we have always adhered to the socialist theoretical system with Chinese characteristics as our guide, and used it to unify our thinking and determine a line of thought for legislation. Our guiding thought for legislation has been to always integrate upholding the Four Cardinal Principles with adhering to the reform and opening up policy, adhering to the basic socialist system with developing the market economy, spurring transformation of the economic base with spurring reform of the superstructure, increasing efficiency with promoting social equity, promoting reform and development with maintaining social stability, and maintaining our independence with participating in economic globalization; and to ensure that the laws and regulations we enact are conducive to consolidating and improving the socialist system, liberating and developing the productive forces, and making the most of the advantages of the socialist system.