BEIJING, Feb. 27-- The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) closed its bi-monthly session here on Thursday, putting in place solid preparation for the upcoming annual parliamentary session.

Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the closing meeting of the three-day session.

Lawmakers passed a draft report on the work of the NPC Standing Committee. It will be submitted to the annual session after mild amendment based on the opinions of lawmakers.

Most lawmakers approved of the draft report and considered it a good summary of the Standing Committee's work in the past year and its planned future work, Zhang said at the closing meeting.

The upcoming annual session is an important occasion held in the first year of the country departing on its grand reform plan, he said.

The session is of great significance to pool wisdom from all people and unite them together to implement the reform plan, according to Zhang.

"We will uphold democracy, handle proceedings in line with law, improve the effect of discussion and host the session in a frugal way," he vowed.

Lawmakers also approved the draft agenda of the annual session, a draft list of candidates for the session's presidium and secretary-general, as well as the list of observers at the session.

Also at the meeting, the top legislature ratified two new national days, one to mark victory in the war against Japanese aggression and the other to commemorate victims in the Nanjing Massacre.

September 3 was ratified as the victory day as the day in 1945 came directly after that on which the Japanese government officially signed the instrument of surrender.

And December 13 is now the national memorial day for massacre victims. Japanese troops started the massacre in Nanjing on Dec. 13, 1937, killing more than 300,000 people in the following 40-odd days of atrocities.

Before the closing session, the chair and vice chairs of the NPC Standing Committee met and decided to put these bills for a vote.