China's national legislature opens for annual session in Beijing

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) convened Thursday in Beijing for its annual session, with economic targets and the rollout of its 15th Five-Year Plan among at least seven items on the agenda.

Top lawmaker and NPC Chairman Zhao Leji declared open the fourth session of the 14th NPC, which is being attended by more than 2,800 deputies from across the world’s second largest nation by population.

President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang are among the participants.

The NPC session opened a day after the 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee convened for its annual session in Beijing.

The parallel annual gatherings, held since 1978, are known internationally as the “Two Sessions,” or Lianghui in China.

At least seven items are on the agenda of the NPC, including a government report delivered by Li as well as the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which outlines development priorities for 2026-2030.

Li told lawmakers that the GDP of the world’s second largest economy grew at 5% last year.

The NPC is also set to announce the target for economic growth for this year, which experts told Anadolu is expected to be between 4.5% and 5%.

China’s largest gathering comes amid a raging conflict in the Middle East after the US and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran on Saturday, killing more than 900 people, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and more than 168 elementary schoolgirls, according to Iranian authorities.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting US-linked sites in Gulf countries, causing many fatalities. Six US service members have been killed and several others injured.