Political advisors gather in Beijing for annual meetings

Members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee are heading to Beijing for the top advisory body's annual session, which will open Friday.

Political advisors from central China's Henan Province were the first to arrive Wednesday.

CPPCC members are elected from all walks of life. They are the think tank for the government, and the legislative and judicial organs. They put forward proposals on major political and social issues.

Si Fuchun, an official with Henan University of Chinese Medicine, told Xinhua that his proposals concern medical and elderly care services, as the sector suffers from a shortage of staff and resources.

"I hope the country can improve its approach to preventing chronic diseases, training and allocating medical staff at local-level institutions and improving services for the aged," he said.

The CPPCC is an important organ for multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. It is an important means of promoting socialist democracy in China's political activities.

The main functions of the CPPCC are to conduct political consultation, exercise democratic supervision and participate in the discussion and handling of state affairs.

The National People's Congress, China's top legislature, will begin its annual session on Sunday.

Together dubbed the "two sessions," the meetings are significant annual events on China's political calendar.