China biggest national gathering starts on Thursday

BEIJING, May 20 (APP):The annual sessions of China’s top legislative and political advisory bodies, the National People’s Congress and the National Committee of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, which was delayed by COVID-19 for over two months will start on Thursday.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the two sessions will be held under strict anti-epidemic measures, including social distancing, and will be significantly shorter and rely more on videoconferences.
The opening of the annual meetings was postponed from the usual date in early March due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The two sessions will see around 3,000 legislators gather in Beijing to discuss major laws and regulations as well as discuss and approve several key documents, including the Government Work Report and the national budget, along with more than 2,000 political advisers from the CPPCC.
Meanwhile, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s top political advisory body, held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of the top political advisory body’s annual session.
Guo Weimin, spokesperson for the third session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, briefed the media on the session and took questions through video conference amid COVID-19 pandemic.
He informed that the annual session of China’s top political advisory body will start at 3 p.m. on Thursday in Beijing after a two-month-plus delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, and end on May 27 – four-and-a-half days shorrter than previously planned.
Except for the opening and closing meetings, this year’s session includes two plenary meetings, one of which will be convened via video, as well as six group meetings.
With regard to media coverage, some Beijing-based Chinese and foreign journalists will be invited to the Great Hall of the People for interview while there will be no group interviews for group meetings.