China's national legislature to convene annual session on March 5

The 13th National People's Congress will convene its fifth annual session in Beijing on March 5, according to a decision taken by the NPC Standing Committee on Friday.

The next session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body, is expected to start in Beijing on March 4, said a draft decision approved earlier at a Chairperson's Council meeting of the CPPCC National Committee.

The two sessions, China's biggest annual political events, usually start in early March. About 3,000 national lawmakers and around 2,000 national political advisers travel to Beijing for the sessions to deliberate reports on the country's crucial economic and political affairs as well as draft laws with people's interest and social development in mind.