The property law took a record 7 years of debating through out of the country. When the labor law was debated, the NPC received 200 000 suggestions, 65% came from the grassroots level.

我还记得当外国记者第一次出现在全国人大的会场时，人大代表们是多么的惊讶。现在，采访全国人大会议的外国记者越来越多，今年达到了800人。记者们甚至还可以参加一些会议的讨论并提问。

I remember the first time international journalists appeared during the National People’s Congress, the delegates were quite surprised. Now they come in bigger number, 800 came this year, and they even sit in some of the meetings and asked questions.

正如胡锦涛主席在17大报告中所提出，“让权力在阳光下运行”，民主建设的核心是民主决策。党和政府建立健全了民主决策机制，重大决策出台之前均广泛征求各方意见。

As President Hu Jintao said at the 17th Party Congress: power should operate under the sunshine. At the center of the democratic reform is the decision making process. Both the Party and the Government have set up the structure with which, major decisions are made only after full consultations.

提高人事透明度也是各项改革措施的焦点之一。我有一次在北京拜访科技部，看到门厅里贴着关于人事任命的公示，并欢迎大家提意见。在中国，对所有级别的重要任命都进行这样的公示。

Transparency in the personnel system has also been a focus of constant reform measures. I once visited the Ministry of Science and saw at the entrance hall some big posters about who is going to be promoted and opinions are invited. This is done at all levels and for all important posts.

10年前，中国建立了农村基层选举制度，到2004年底，64,000个村委会通过直接选举产生，85%的村庄成立了村民会议或村民代表会议制度。

Election was introduced at rural level 10 years ago. 64,000 village committees were set up as of the end of 2004, all of them being directly elected. 85% of the villages have set up mechanism for important decisions.

当然，我并不是说中国的民主制度十全十美。胡锦涛主席在中国共产党十七大报告中60多次提到“民主”二字，恰恰表明作为党的总书记他对这个问题的重视和在党和政府内加强民主建设的决心。中国改革之路还在途中，还在不断的变革之中。

However, I am not saying that China has the perfect democratic system. The reason that the President used the term democracy about 60 time, precisely because, as the General Secretary of the Party, he wanted to emphasis the importance and was calling for greater effort to develop democracy in the Party and the government. We are half way through the reform program and everything is still in a transitional process.

正如在北京每年都可以看到新建筑一样，在中国每年在政治上也都有新的发展变化，总的方向是更加公开、更加透明、更加负责任。

Just like you can see new building in Beijing every year, you will also see new political development in China every year. The direction is towards greater openness, transparency and accountability.

在国际上，中国希望发挥鼓励对话与合作的作用，不将自己的意志强加于人或干涉别国内政。