China: Parliament session in March, to approve key plans

China will hold its annual Parliament session on March 5 next year to approve a host of key laws, including the 14th Five-Year Plan and President Xi Jinping's ambitious long-range strategic developmental initiatives, according to an official announcement here on Saturday. Every year, the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), comprising about 3,000 legislators, mostly from the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), holds the meeting in early March but it was postponed to May this year for the first time in its history due to the coronavirus pandemic which emerged in Wuhan city in December last year and spread to the country and the rest of the world. COVID-19 cases continued to be reported in smaller numbers in different parts of the country, including Beijing, 

Regarded as the rubber-stamp parliament for its routine approval of the proposals from the CPC, the NPC session is held for about two weeks along with the country's advisory body, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Together they have about 6,000 deputies.The NPC session sets off the national agenda for the year by approving Premier Li Keqiang's work report.Traditionally, the premier announces a new annual target of the GDP for the Chinese economy which continued on slowdown mode. Last year, however, Li didn't announce the GDP target, the first time since 1976.