BEIJING: China’s top legislature will hold its annual session next month after postponing the meeting for the first time in decades due to the virus outbreak.
The Communist Party leadership announced in February that it would put off the annual National People’s Congress (NPC) for the first time since the Cultural Revolution as the country battled the coronavirus outbreak, which has since become a global pandemic.
The rescheduled session on May 22 will be seen as a sign of confidence by the leadership that the country has largely brought its outbreak under control.
Top Communist Party leaders including President Xi Jinping attend each year’s gathering with delegates from across the country, to rubber-stamps bills, budgets, and personnel moves already decided by the party.
According to a statement on Xinhua, the decision was adopted by the NPC Standing Committee — a body that oversees the country’s legislative session which met for four days from Sunday.
The NPC was originally due to start on 5th March. While most of the strict lockdown restrictions imposed on the epicenter of Hubei province have now been lifted, there are still strict quarantine measures on those arriving in the capital city from other parts of China.
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