Political consultative sessions are offering platforms for constructive ideas and practical suggestions that truly reflect the demand for social and economic development.

Members of the local committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference have kept their minds on the most pressing issues, and the city is pressing ahead with improvements in social and economic development.

Before the official kickoff of the plenary session on Wednesday, several dozen proposals were made exemplary thanks to their prompt and practical ideas, and members are obviously keeping up the sentiment to help forge a new development path for the city.

A weekly freight train from Shanghai to Hamburg, Germany, began service last September.

Orient International Holding President Tong Jisheng, who made the proposal at last year's session to launch the freight route, said operations have been smooth and outbound cargo transportation for the weekly service is fully booked for the next three months.

After initial operations, it had completed 12 outbound journeys with a capacity shortage due to rising demand.

Shanghai shall benchmark other cities and increase the number of outbound freight trains to 1,000 annually, Tong noted.

At last year's CPPCC session, he called for different forms of subsidies and a long-term communication mechanism to enhance cross-border collaboration and better facilitate the process for customs clearance, quarantine and electronic cargo tracking note.

The first data law in Shanghai was passed by the city's legislature in November.

Following discussions at the previous CPPCC sessions regarding how data shall better protect the public well-being and detailed policies should be put into place, Shanghai Data Policy now serves as an indispensable part of the city's economic development and digital transformation.

Last year, a joint proposal was made to set up a Yangtze River Delta region data exchange to resolve the inconsistency of data standards.

This year, the new law also covers digital flow in the Yangtze River Delta region and provincial and city-level collaboration, which have been hot topics during recent CPPCC meetings.

CPPCC discussions are not only about big issues like trade and urban governance, but also touch upon everyday life.

TV host Zang Xi called for the public to shed light on those with temporary mobility difficulties, even if improvements of public facilities seem to be targeted at those who are physically challenged.

Zang, who made several proposals calling for the city to create a more accessible environment, said it also benefits able-bodied people to have these barrier-free facilities put in place.

Shanghai has released relevant laws to push forward accessible public facilities but there's still more progress that needs to be made, he said.

The city's one-stop government affairs portals also added dozens of new items and streamlined processes over the past year, as government authorities respond to proposals and suggestions to be truly customer-centric and break down barriers between various departments.