At 8:53 PM on March 2, flight CX318 from Hong Kong touched down
at Beijing's Capital Airport. Deputies to the 10th National
People's Congress (NPC) from Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region walked down the ramp and into the airport. The last of the
35 delegations coming from all over China had arrived.
Altogether, 2,984 deputies were scheduled to attend the 2nd
session of the 10th NPC, which will start on March 5. By 10:00 PM
on March 2, 2,960 deputies had registered and the other 24 had
asked for leave.
Deputies began arriving in Beijing on the morning of March 1,
welcomed by conspicuous banners in railway stations and the
airport, as well as in the hotels where they stay and restaurants
where they eat.
Liu Huailian, an NPC deputy from central China's Henan
Province, said: "We were sorely tested last year by the severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. Under the firm
leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
(CPC) and the State Council, the Chinese people not only overcame
countless difficulties but also strengthened the economy. In 2003,
GDP amounted to 11 trillion yuan (US$1,329 billion), and per capita
GDP rose past US$1,000."
Many deputies began collecting information and preparing to
present their proposals as soon as they had checked in to their
hotels. NPC deputy Jiang Deming, from Jiangsu
Province, regards issues concerning agriculture, the
countryside and farmers as highly important. He is submitting a
suggestion on implementing a law to protect farmers' interests and
rights.
"I was aware that many migrant workers couldn't go home and
celebrate the Chinese New Year with their families because they
hadn't been paid, even though the governments at various levels
have implemented many measures to solve this problem. The crux of
the matter is that farmers can hardly protect their rights without
laws to back them up."
NPC deputy Wan Longjun, from Guizhou Province, has a proposal
concerning the agricultural tax reform.
"The government furthered the tax reform by reducing or
eliminating agricultural taxes. In 2003, the exemption from the
agricultural tax and the surcharges for the first-level
impoverished counties and towns provided timely help for the poor
farmers." He added, "But the current scope and scale of reform
implementation means that there are still more farmers waiting for
help. Therefore, I will air my proposal on strengthening exemption
from the agricultural tax."
(China.org.cn March 3, 2004)