NPC Session Opens

The Fourth Session of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC), China's top law-making body, opened at the Great Hall of the People Monday morning.

At 9:00, Li Peng, executive chairman of the session and an executive member of the session presidium, announced the opening of the session, and invited Premier Zhu Rongji to deliver a report of the draft outline of the country's 10th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development.

A total of 2,870 deputies to the NPC attended today's meeting.

Among the senior state and Party leaders present at the meeting are Jiang Zemin, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing and Li Lanqing.

More than 2,000 members of the Ninth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, who are attending the committee's fourth session, are present at the meeting as observers, together with a number of central and local government and Party officials.

(Xinhua 03/05/2001)