Top advisory body to meet for annual session
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-03-02 21:47

China's top advisory body will meet Friday for its annual session, giving the floor to its more than 2,000 members to voice their opinions freely on the country's hottest topics, a spokesman said here Thursday.

Members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top advisory body, arrive at the Capital International Airport in Beijing March 1, 2006. The advisors are here to attend the annual CPPCC session scheduled to convene Friday. [Xinhua]

The Fourth Session of the Tenth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) will begin in the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing on Friday afternoon, said Wu Jianmin, the session's spokesman, at a press conference.

Jia Qinglin, chairman of the 10th CPPCC National Committee, will deliver a report on the work of the CPPCC National Committee's Standing Committee over the past year, while Luo Haocai, vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, will brief the members on how their suggestions and proposals were handled in 2005, said Wu.

The CPPCC members, coming from around the country, will also participate in the Fourth Session of the Tenth National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, Wu said.

According to Wu, the hottest issues that CPPCC members concerned involve the issues of 11th Five-Year Development Program, building a "new countryside", coordinated economic development of all regions, speeding up of the reforms on medical and health system, and security in production.

The members will discuss the draft Guidelines of the 11th Five-Year Development Program for National Economic and Social Development, and hear and discuss the report on the government work delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao.

Wu said the domestic and overseas journalists are welcome to cover the CPPCC session's opening, closing and three plenary meetings. Journalists are also invited to attend a number of open-door panel discussions of the CPPCC members.

Two press conferences for both Chinese and foreign journalists and one joint interview will be held during the session, Wu said.

Making concerted efforts to portray a blueprint for the 11th Five-Year Development Program through making positive suggestions and building a harmonious society by giving full play to the advantages of the CPPCC are the themes of the press conferences.

As of 12 on Thursday, 1,361 out of a total 2,080 CPPCC members had registered with the secretariat of the CPPCC National Committee's annual session.

CPPCC members are required to submit their proposals to the conference by 5 p.m. on March 8, and their copies of speeches by 10 p.m. on March 5.

The secretariat of the current session has so far received 466 proposals and 435 speeches, Wu said.

China National Radio, China Central Television, China Radio International and a number of news networks including Xinhuanet will live telecast the opening ceremony of the session.

Founded in 1949, the CPPCC consists of elite members of the Chinese society who are willing to serve as the think tank for the government and for the country's legislative and judicial organs.