China’s parliament convenes as new leadership expected

The 12th National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s parliamentary body, opened its first annual session Tuesday morning at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Chinese News Agency (Xinhua) reported today.NPC deputies will elect new president and vice president, decide on a new premier, vice premiers and cabinet, as well as deliberate a government institutional reform plan.Nearly 3,000 NPC deputies from across the country attended the opening meeting along with top Party Hu Jintao and state leaders.Premier Wen Jiabao delivered a government work report at the opening meeting, chaired by Zhang Dejiang, executive chairperson of the session’s presidium.“Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary, let us unite as one and work hard to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” said Wen.His report set the country’s economic growth target of this year at 7.5 percent and promised to curb the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase at around 3.5 percent.It also vowed to create more than 9 million new urban jobs and keep the registered urban unemployment at or below 4.6 percent.The government will work to ensure that the per capita income of residents increases in step with economic growth, according to the report which was distributed to media ahead of the meeting.