Presidium elected, agenda set for China's annual legislative session

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) gathered here Sunday morning at a preparatory meeting to elect the presidium and set the agenda for the first session of the 13th NPC scheduled to begin on Monday.

A 190-member presidium was elected, with Wang Chen as secretary-general of the NPC session, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

The National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, holds a news conference ahead of the opening of its annual session in Beijing on Sunday, March 4, 2018. [Photo: Xinhua]

"All preparation for the annual session is done," said Chairman of the 12th NPC Standing Committee Zhang Dejiang, who presided over the preparatory meeting. "I hope the session will be democratic, united, pragmatic and progressive, and rally Chinese people of all ethnic groups closely around the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core."

The meeting also adopted the ten-item agenda of the session.

The newly-elected presidium met shortly afterwards and elected Li Zhanshu and nine other deputies to the 13th NPC as executive chairpersons of the presidium.

Zhang shook hands with all executive chairpersons before heading out the meeting hall accompanied by Li, amid warm applause.

Earlier Sunday morning before the preparatory meeting, chairman and vice chairpersons of the 12th NPC Standing Committee concluded their last meeting to make preparations for the upcoming session.

The meeting, presided over by Zhang, finalized a list of candidates for the presidium and secretary-general of the first session of the 13th NPC and heard a report on the session's draft agenda, which were later submitted to the preparatory meeting.