From June 19 to 21, Tie Ning, vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), led a team to Southwest China's Chongqing municipality to learn about the work of childcare services.

The team convened a symposium, at which they heard a report on childcare services in Chongqing and reports by the provincial people's congresses of Shanxi, Liaoning, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shandong and Gansu, as well as the municipal people's congress of Jiaxing in East China's Zhejiang province on local childcare services. They also engaged in discussions with NPC deputies to solicit opinions and suggestions on the childcare services law.

At the symposium, Tie fully acknowledged the achievements made in childcare services in Chongqing and the seven other provinces and cities. She emphasized that childcare services are crucial for numerous families and the future of the nation, and called for promoting legislation on and the supervision of childcare services, establishing a sound system for the sector, regulating the development of the industry, and using the power of the rule of law to promote high-quality population development.

Tie underlined the need to adhere to scientific, democratic, and law-based legislation and to design top-level systems for childcare services.

It is essential to uphold the overall leadership of the Party in legislative work, focus on key issues and challenges, practice whole-process people's democracy, value the role of deputies and broaden channels for public participation in legislation, so as to enhance the quality and effectiveness of legislation on childcare services, she said.

Tie also stressed the role of the special committees of the people's congresses in gathering valuable opinions and suggestions from all sectors, and called for efforts to fully solicit public opinion, and gather collective wisdom, to jointly promote the development of childcare services and contribute to the construction of a society friendly to childbearing.