China's top political advisory body concluded its annual session Wednesday with a commitment to help deepen reforms as the country embarks on what its leaders called a "deep water zone."

The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) opened its annual session in Beijing on March 3rd, simultaneous with the annual session of China's legislature.

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By March 7, CPPCC members, who represent a cross section of Chinese society, had submitted 5,875 proposals that sought to improve the economy, governance, and people's lives.

More than 2,000 of those proposals focused on how to reform China's economy in a comprehensive way, and develop it in a healthier, more sustainable manner.

There were about 600 proposals to stem pollution, 500 on governance modernization, and around 1,500 geared toward uplifting people's well-being.

President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and top Communist Party leaders Zhang Dejiang, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli attended the closing session.

In his closing address, CPPCC National Committee Chairman Yu Zhengsheng lauded this year's session as "a manifestation of the vitality of socialist democracy."

Yu stressed that "innovation" is the essence of reform, and urged members of the political advisory body to continue making suggestions to the central leadership that will serve the overall interests of the country.

At the end of their session, the CPPCC came out with a political resolution that called on each member "to contribute to the deepening of reforms by conducting investigations and studies on key issues, enhancing democratic supervision, providing candid suggestions and pooling strength."

The political resolution also vowed to promote social harmony and protect national security and ethnic unity, even as members condemned the violent knife attack at Kunming train station that killed 29 people and injured 143 others just days before the annual two sessions opened.

The CPPCC is an umbrella organization representative of every sector of Chinese society - from communist party members, to people without party affiliation, community organizations, ethnic minorities, cultural personages and industry leaders.