NPC Standing Committee Meeting Concludes With Proposals

The 14th meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, concluded in Beijing Wednesday after having passed a series of proposals preparing for the upcoming annual NPC session due to open on March 5.

The meeting, held between February 28 and March 1, also examined and passed the Decision to Strengthen Supervision over Economic Work.

NPC Standing Committee chairman Li Peng attended and presided over the closing meeting.

He said the Decision is of vital importance for the NPC Standing Committee to perform their rights enshrined by the Constitution and will help ensure a sustained, rapid and healthy national economy.

The meeting approved the draft agenda and name list of the presidium and the secretary-general for the third session of the 9th NPC.

The draft work report of the NPC Standing Committee to be presented to the full session was passed in principle.

A name list of non-voting delegates to the NPC session was confirmed and they are 28 members from the State Council, 2,196 members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a deputy secretary-general of the State Council, a vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, a deputy procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate and some officials from local governments, People's Liberation Army and the armed police.

Tung Chee Hwa, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), is one of the non-voting delegates. Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of the Macao SAR, will attend the third session as an NPC deputy whose resignation of being a Standing Committee member of the 9th NPC was approved Wednesday.

A report on qualifications of newly-elected or added deputies including seven deputies from the Macao SAR and 11 deputies from the Chinese mainland to the NPC was confirmed.

Three international treaties were ratified: an extradition treaty with Cambodia, a treaty on judicial assistance of civil and commercial cases with Tunis and an accord with Tajikistan on border issue.

The meeting approved the appointment of Tian Fengshan as minister of Land and Resources, taking the place of Zhou Yongkang.

Some other officials being appointed and removed were also approved in the meeting.


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