China’s top legislature concludes annual session

BEIJING (Xinhua) — The 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, concluded its second session Monday.
Chinese leaders Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Han Zheng attended the closing meeting of the session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Zhao Leji, executive chairperson of the session’s presidium, presided over the meeting attended by 2,900 NPC deputies.
Lawmakers adopted a revised Organic Law of the State Council. President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to promulgate the law.
Lawmakers approved the government work report and the work reports of the NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.
They approved a report on the implementation of the 2023 plan for national economic and social development and on the draft plan for 2024, as well as the 2024 plan.
They also approved a report on the execution of the central and local budgets for 2023 and on the draft central and local budgets for 2024, and approved the central budget for 2024.
Addressing the meeting, Zhao Leji said that the annual session has successfully completed its agenda. The outcomes of the session have demonstrated the great strengths of China’s whole-process people’s democracy and the country’s foundational political system, he said.
Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Zhao urged lawmakers to act in line with the people-centered philosophy of development, develop whole-process people’s democracy, and contribute to Chinese modernization.
Zhao, also chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over a presidium meeting and an executive chairpersons meeting on Monday before the closing meeting.