The Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC) kicked off on Thursday its two-day session to make final preparations for the first plenary meeting of the 10th NPC.

The first plenary meeting of the 10th NPC will open on Wednesday when the Ninth NPC completes its five-year tenure and the 10th NPC starts.

Senior national legislators are expected to vote today on a report scrutinizing the qualifications of deputies to the 10th NPC -- the new national legislative body.

The report was proposed to the session yesterday by Wang Weicheng, director of the Ninth NPC Credentials Committee.

A total of 2,985 deputies to the 10th NPC have been elected nationwide but one deputy from east China's Fujian Province passed away last week, Wang said.

The report reveals that the 480 members of non-Communist parties and people with no party affiliation account for 16.09 percent of total deputies and 72.99 percent of deputies are members of the Communist Party of China.

The rest come from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and other circles.

Among the deputies, 18.46 percent are farmers and workers, 21.14 percent are intellectuals and 32.44 percent are government or party officials.

Based on these findings, Wang said the deputies to the 10th NPC have been elected from a wider range of social strata and are more representative than in the past.

The legislators yesterday reviewed the draft agenda that they will propose to the first plenary meeting of the 10th NPC.

The meeting will elect state leaders, judicial heads and members of the government. Participants will also deliberate on major reports including one on the planned institutional reform of the State Council, a review of government performance last year, and the budget report.

The agenda will be finalized by the presidium of the 10th NPC.

(China Daily February 28, 2003)