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SUBJECT [Mar 6] China starts Second Session of 13th National People’s Congress (NPC)
DATE 2019-03-06
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PHOTO: Xinhua/Li Xueren.

Xi Jinping (C, front), Li Keqiang (3rd R, front), Wang Yang (3rd L, front), Wang Huning (2nd R, front), Zhao Leji (2nd L, front), Han Zheng (1st R, front) and Wang Qishan (1st L, front) attend the opening meeting of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2019.

 

13th National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s national legislature, opened its second session on March 5, 2019 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

 

Xi Jinping and other leaders of the Communist Party of China and the state were present at the opening meeting, which was attended by nearly 3,000 NPC deputies.

 

Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng, and Wang Qishan sat on the stage with members of the legislative session’s presidium. Li Zhanshu, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, announced the opening at 9 a.m.

 

Li Keqiang delivered the government work report on behalf of the State Council to the legislature for deliberation. He said though China faced a challenging environment rarely seen in many years with the economy under new downward pressure, the nation managed to accomplish main targets for economic and social development in 2018.

 

“We must face the problems and challenges squarely, shoulder our responsibility, fully perform our duties, and do all we can to truly live up to people’s expectations”, Li Keqiang said.

 

Looking to 2019, he announced some of the main projected targets for economic and social development that include 6 to 6.5% GDP growth, over 11 million new urban jobs, Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase of around 3 percent, a reduction of over 10 million in the rural poor population, among others. He further outlined ten main tasks for the government’s work this year.

 

Le Keqiang said it is necessary to sustain healthy economic development and maintain social stability to create a pivotal underpinning for completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China with outstanding accomplishments.

 

During the meeting, the report on the implementation of the 2018 plan and 2019 draft plan for national economic and social development and the report on the execution of the central and local budgets for 2018 and draft budgets for 2019 were submitted to the legislature for deliberation.

 

2,948 Deputies participated in the second session of the 13th NPC. The 13th National People’s Congress meets in annual sessions from 2018 to 2023, and the second session of the 13th NPC will be from March 5-15, 2019.

 

The Second Session of the 13th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee will also be held from March 3 to 13.

 

CPPCC is China’s top political advisory body; during the sessions, over 2000 members of the CPPCC National Committee from across the country will gather to discuss major political, economic, and social issues concerning the country’s development.

 

Political advisors heard and deliberated a report on the work of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee and a report on how the Standing Committee has handled proposals from CPPCC National Committee members since the previous session.

 

BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)