Fu Ying, spokeswoman of the third session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), meets journalists from home and abroad at a press conference in Beijing, March 4, 2015. [Photo by Wang Jing/China Daily]

Tough environmental protection law

Fu Ying said the new Environmental Protection Law was introduced after four readings by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

The law has been called the "the most strict Environmental Protection Law in history", and promises "zero tolerance" toward pollution. It carries tough punishment against polluters.

Rule of law

Highlighting the rule of law, Fu said judicial justice in China has drawn attention from both home and abroad as the topic has regularly featured in media reports and online discussions.

China's national legislators Wednesday elected a presidium and set the agenda for the legislature's annual session, which is to open Thursday in Beijing.

Agenda

A 172-member presidium was elected to take charge of the procedures of the third session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), which is scheduled to conclude on March 15, said Fu Ying, spokeswoman of the session, at a press conference.

Background

The NPC currently has 2,964 deputies, representing China's 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions as well as Hong Kong, Macau and the military. According to a statement issued by the NPC Standing Committee, the legislative body expelled 39 members due to corruption.

Responding to the deepening anti-graft blitz, this session has been marked by frugality, with hotels providing reusable toiletries for deputies and session organizers encouraging them to take digital versions of documents.

On the opening day Premier Li Keqiang will deliver a government work report to the deputies, with economic reform likely on the agenda as the annual economic growth target is widely expected to be cut to around 7 percent, the lowest goal in 11 years and down from last year's target of 7.5 percent.