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China's top legislature ends annual session
The Second Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, concluded Friday morning after completing its nine-day agenda.
The government work report delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao on March 5 was approved with 2,824 votes from the 2,898 NPC deputies present at the closing meeting.
It called on the nation to promote economic and social development and outlined an all-around stimulus plan to shore up economy amid global downturn.
CPPCC session wraps up
The CPPCC, China's top political advisory body, concluded its annual session Thursday morning. They pledged efforts to help maintain steady and relatively fast economic development in 2009.
The meeting adopted the work report of the 11th CPPCC National Committee's Standing Committee over the past year. The report on how suggestions and proposals from CPPCC members were handled since the last session was also included. Great importance was attached to issues relating to people's wellbeing.
News In-depth
Proposals light up the sessions
Tens of thousands of proposals were submitted during the two sessions. Some proposals worth recalling are:
An NPC deputy from Zhejiang Province suggested that Premier Wen Jiabao should be granted the National Model Worker, the top prize awarded by the Chinese government.
A call was made for a new 1,000-yuan note, the reuse of complex characters, and the birthday of Confucius to be celebrated as Teachers’ Day.
In terms of vacations, proposals about resuming the May Day Golden Week aroused hot debate. Others included four half-workdays, longer maternity leaves, and even an annual 10 day vacation for new fathers to take care of their children.
China should not copy Western system
On March 9, top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo elaborated on the essential differences between China's people's congresses and the Western capitalist system of political power.
He said China's system is of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, not a Western-style multi-party system.
The people's congresses system is not a Western system with separation of powers.
Deputies to the people's congresses are broadly representative, and do not represent a single party or group as members of Western parliaments do.
According to the legislation plan, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee will formulate at least seven laws, including the long-anticipated social security law and social welfare law.
Diplomacy 'should boost economies'
China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi stressed last Saturday that China’s over-arching objective was to "spare no effort to ensure steady and rapid economic development."
Yang emphasized the economic imperatives of China's foreign policy and cautiously avoided criticizing the US when asked to give his view on Washington's role in the crisis. He drew attention instead to President Hu Jintao's imminent first meeting with US President Barack Obama at the upcoming G20 summit in early April.
Yang said the G20 summit should "play a role in boosting confidence, strengthening coordination on macroeconomic policies, stabilizing financial markets (and) undertaking necessary reforms in the global financial system and regulatory regime."
Picture News
Star hurdler back as political advisor
Popular athlete Liu Xiang made his first appearance as a CPPCC member on Thursday.
Previously Liu was criticized about his absence from the annual session both this year and last year, leading to doubts about his eligibility to be a member.
In response, he said it was not because of public pressure, as some had speculated, that he had come to catch the end of the conference. Liu made no remarks or presented any proposals, but he did say his foot injury was getting better.
（英語點津 Helen 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Nancy Matos is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Nancy is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism and Media program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her journalism career in broadcast and print has taken her around the world from New York to Portugal and now Beijing. Nancy is happy to make the move to China and join the China Daily team.
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