China's national legislature to convene on March 5

BEIJING - The 13th National People's Congress (NPC) will hold its first annual session in Beijing on March 5 to discuss Constitution revision and elect new state leaders, according to a decision made by the 12th NPC Standing Committee Tuesday.

The decision was adopted via a vote at an NPC Standing Committee session held on Monday and Tuesday.

The agenda of the session includes reviewing the government work report, examining reports on the implementation of the annual plan on national economic and social development in 2017 and the draft plan on national economic and social development in 2018, and examining reports on the implementation of the central and local budgets in 2017 and the draft central and local budgets in 2018.

NPC deputies will deliberate a draft revision to the Constitution, a draft law on supervision, and the work reports of the NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, according to the decision.

The NPC is the highest institution through which the Chinese people exercise their state power. Elected for a term of five years, it normally meets at an annual session and is convened by its Standing Committee.

The first NPC was convened in 1954, marking the establishment of the people's congress system in China.