Two Sessions to Come

The full session of the 12th National Peoples Congress （NPC） will kick off on March 5.

The agenda includes deliberating and approving the Government Work Report to be delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao； checking and approving reports on the implementation of the annual plan on national economic and social development in 2012 and the draft plan for 2013； checking and approving reports on budgets； and hearing and deliberating three work reports by the NPC Standing Committee， the Supreme Peoples Court and the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate.

However， the most eye-catching agenda of this years NPC session is the election and nomination of State and ministry-level leaders. Xi Jinping， who assumed the post of general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC） last November， and Li Keqiang， a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Political Bureau， are expected to be elected as chairman of the country and premier of the State Council， or Chinas cabinet， respectively. The new leadership， supported by new faces within the ministries， will guarantee Chinas development in the coming five to 10 years.

Following the 18th National Congress of CPC last November， the NPC will also convene under the backdrop of China gaining a more dynamic presence on the world stage， while its reform is approaching a juncture where it will be more complicated to tackle difficult issues. It is no wonder the meeting will garner world attention.

More than 2，000 deputies will meet in Beijing to discuss state affairs， including economic growth， adjustment and control of prices—especially in the real estate sector—income distribution， reform in education and medical care， environmental protection， and urbanization， among other topics.

Meanwhile， an almost equal number of members of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference will join in the discussions. The advisory body， though not participating in the election， will conduct political consultation by providing various proposals.

No matter what will be discussed at the two sessions， reform will remain the major buzzword. Based on accomplishments reached during the past 35 years since the nation adopted the reform and opening-up policy in 1978， with the wisdom of the people and the new leadership， we have every reason to be confident that Chinas reform will gain more momentum.