Journalists attend a press conference of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress via video link in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2022. The press conference was held via video link due to COVID-19 prevention and control requirements. (CHEN ZHONGHAO / XINHUA)

BEIJING – Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, on Friday elected the presidium and set the agenda for the fifth session of the 13th NPC. 

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over a preparatory meeting for the session. 

All the preparations for the annual session, which will open on Saturday morning in Beijing, are completed, Li said. 

A 175-member presidium was elected, with Wang Chen as the secretary-general of the NPC session. 

The fifth session of the 13th NPC is scheduled to conclude on March 11, with 10 items on the agenda

The fifth session of the 13th NPC is scheduled to conclude on March 11, with 10 items on the agenda, Zhang Yesui, spokesperson for the session, told a press conference.

The presidium of the session met shortly after the preparatory meeting concluded. 

Attendees to the presidium meeting decided on the schedule of the NPC session, among other matters. 

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Prior to the preparatory meeting, the Council of Chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee met for the meeting's preparation.   

Zhang Yesui, spokesperson for the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress, speaks during a press conference via video link in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2022. The press conference of the session was held via video link due to COVID-19 prevention and control requirements. Zhang took questions from media on the agenda of the session and the work of the people's congresses. (CHEN YEHUA / XINHUA)

 The preparatory meeting also adopted the agenda of the session: 

   -- Deliberate the report on the work of the government; 

   -- Review the report on the implementation of the 2021 plan and on the 2022 draft plan for national economic and social development, and the draft plan for national economic and social development in 2022; 

   -- Review the report on the execution of the central and local budgets for 2021 and on the draft central and local budgets for 2022, and the draft central and local budgets for 2022; 

   -- Deliberate the draft amendment to the Organic Law of the Local People's Congresses and Local People's Governments; 

   -- Deliberate the draft decision of the fifth session of the 13th NPC on the number of deputies to the 14th NPC and their election; 

   -- Deliberate the draft method for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) to elect deputies to the 14th NPC; 

   -- Deliberate the draft method for the Macao SAR to elect deputies to the 14th NPC; 

   -- Deliberate the work report of the NPC Standing Committee; 

   -- Deliberate the work report of the Supreme People's Court; and

   -- Deliberate the work report of the Supreme People's Procuratorate.