China's new state council is expected to accelerate its functional transformation and present a new style under new Premier Li Keqiang.

Politicians and influential thinkers across the globe are looking to China's new leaders for clues on the direction of the world's second-largest economy.

Foreign leaders sent congratulatory messages Thursday to Xi Jinping on his election as the new Chinese president.

National legislators endorsed a government restructuring plan, ushering in an era of intensifying reform toward less bureaucracy and more efficiency.

The government has spent more than 2.2 trillion yuan to support the ongoing medical reform and aims to make healthcare affordable for all citizens by 2020.

The efficiency of the two sessions has improved a lot this year and the conferences have become more effective and practical, political advisers and lawmakers said.

The government will encourage civil societies to play a greater role by simplifying registration while beefing up supervision.

"I am already homesick," said Liang Wentong, 38, a farmer from Congjiang county in Guizhou province, when interviewed on March 5, the first day of the annual session of the National People's Congress.

The introduction of private capital in railway construction and operations will help break monopoly in the industry, a top official said Monday.

The State Council has unveiled a series of changes designed to reflect recent changes in society and maximise administrative efficiency.

The institutional restructuring and functional transformation plan released on Sunday has tolled the bell for the colossal Ministry of Railways.

China will upgrade its existing State Food and Drug Administration to improve safety standards for foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals, according to a report delivered by State Councilor Ma Kai to the annual session of the country's top legislative body on Sunday.

A new national health and family planning commission will be established by merging the National Population and Family Planning Commission with the Ministry of Health, according to the report on the State Council's institutional reforms and the transformation of government functions.

Lawmakers and experts have called on authorities to make the best from the planned establishment of a new ministry to oversee food safety and crack down on fake medicines.

China's chief justice Wang Shengjun delivered a report on the work of the Supreme People's Court at a meeting of the annual parliamentary session.
China's top procurator reports work