The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held a meeting on Friday, deciding that the CPC Central Committee will hold its second plenary session in Beijing from Monday to Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Friday's meeting of the chairman and vice-chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, set Thursday and Friday for the 32nd and final session of the Ninth NPC Standing Committee.
Party General Secretary Hu Jintao presided over Friday's political bureau meeting. The participants discussed a document on deepening the reform of the administrative management system and on government organization.
These two issues are key to China's political reform and essential to the functioning of the socialist market economy in the light of China's commitments to the World Trade Organization, participants agreed.
The meeting also discussed the list of candidates for the country's next administration, which will be recommended to the upcoming meeting of the 10th National People's Congress as well as the candidate list for leaders of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The list will also be recommended to the first meeting of the 10th CPPCC.
The issues of political reform and the candidate lists for new leaders were adopted as agenda items for the upcoming second plenum of the CPC Central Committee.
In addition, Friday's meeting discussed the State Council's work report and approved the draft to be presented at the 10th National People's Congress.
The final session of the Ninth NPC Standing Committee will discuss the draft agenda of the first session of the 10th NPC, to be held in March.
Participants at nest week's session will discuss a report on examining the qualifications of deputies to the 10th NPC, and the names of the deputies will be announced.
The Standing Committee session will discuss the draft agenda of the first 10th NPC session, the draft list put forward for the presidium and secretary-general of the session, and deliberate the draft report on the work of the Ninth NPC Standing Committee.
A draft ordinance on customs bearings, the sole draft law to be reviewed during the NPC Standing Committee session, will be discussed for the second time.
(China Daily February 22, 2003)
