The press center for the upcoming annual sessions of China's top
legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), and the country's top advisory body, the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), formally began operation in Beijing
yesterday.
A signboard is
displayed at the gate of the building housing the media center for
this year's NPC and CPPCC annual sessions.
The center, located at No.3 Jiaoyu Street (about 50 meters south
of the intersection of Xidan and Chang'an Boulevard in downtown
Beijing), is responsible for assisting Chinese and foreign
correspondents covering the two meetings.
About 2,000 journalists, including 400 foreign correspondents,
have applied for accreditation for the sessions. NPC media center
staffer Cong Wu said the number of foreign journalists covering the
annual sessions this year could exceed last year's total 600.
The Fifth Session of the 10th CPPCC will open?on March 3,
and the Fifth Session of the 10th NPC on March 5.
Two new laws, the Property Law and the Corporate Income Tax Law,
are expected to be adopted during the NPC session. Motions aimed at
fighting corruption and building a clean government are also
expected to be tabled at the two upcoming sessions.
Other important issues, such as expensive medical care, rising
education fees, soaring housing prices, scant social security
coverage, mounting employment pressure, and the widening income
gap, will also top the agenda of the two sessions, experts say.
A total of 1,006 proposals were submitted by 3,000 NPC deputies
during the last session. The Standing Committee of the
10th?NPC deliberated on 24 draft laws and law-related
resolutions and has adopted 15 of them since March 2006.
A guard is on
sentry at the entrance to No.3 Jiaoyu Street February 26, 2006. The
compound houses the media center for this year's NPC and CPPCC
annual sessions.
(CRI.cn February 27, 2007)
