At 8:53 PM on March 2, flight CX318 from Hong Kong touched down at Beijing's Capital Airport. Deputies to the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region walked down the ramp and into the airport. The last of the 35 delegations coming from all over China had arrived.

Altogether, 2,984 deputies were scheduled to attend the 2nd session of the 10th NPC, which will start on March 5. By 10:00 PM on March 2, 2,960 deputies had registered and the other 24 had asked for leave.

Deputies began arriving in Beijing on the morning of March 1, welcomed by conspicuous banners in railway stations and the airport, as well as in the hotels where they stay and restaurants where they eat.

Liu Huailian, an NPC deputy from central China's Henan Province, said: "We were sorely tested last year by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. Under the firm leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council, the Chinese people not only overcame countless difficulties but also strengthened the economy. In 2003, GDP amounted to 11 trillion yuan (US$1,329 billion), and per capita GDP rose past US$1,000."

Many deputies began collecting information and preparing to present their proposals as soon as they had checked in to their hotels. NPC deputy Jiang Deming, from Jiangsu Province, regards issues concerning agriculture, the countryside and farmers as highly important. He is submitting a suggestion on implementing a law to protect farmers' interests and rights.

"I was aware that many migrant workers couldn't go home and celebrate the Chinese New Year with their families because they hadn't been paid, even though the governments at various levels have implemented many measures to solve this problem. The crux of the matter is that farmers can hardly protect their rights without laws to back them up."

NPC deputy Wan Longjun, from Guizhou Province, has a proposal concerning the agricultural tax reform.

"The government furthered the tax reform by reducing or eliminating agricultural taxes. In 2003, the exemption from the agricultural tax and the surcharges for the first-level impoverished counties and towns provided timely help for the poor farmers." He added, "But the current scope and scale of reform implementation means that there are still more farmers waiting for help. Therefore, I will air my proposal on strengthening exemption from the agricultural tax."

(China.org.cn March 3, 2004)