Political advisors gather in Beijing for annual meetings

Members of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region wave upon their arrival at Beijing West Railway Station, in Beijing, March 1, 2016, for the Fourth Session of the 12th CPPCC National Committee. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - Members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee are headed to Beijing for the advisory body's annual session, slated for Thursday.

Political advisors from northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region and northern Inner Mongolia autonomous region were the first to arrive on Tuesday.

With only two days until the start of the two-most important weeks of the political calendar, advisors will submit proposals and insight on state affairs.

The National People's Congress, China's top legislature, will begin its annual session on Saturday.

Together dubbed the "two sessions," the meetings are the most important political events in China, where political and economic development measures are discussed and key policies adopted.

CPPCC members are elected from various walks of life and ethnic groups. They are the think tank for the government, and the legislative and judicial organs. They put forward proposals for the major political and social issues in the world's most populous nation and second-largest economy.

Ma Zongbao, head of Ningxia University's institute for Hui ethnic studies, told Xinhua that his proposal calls for better higher education in central and western parts of China as this will aid poverty alleviation in the region.

"I hope the country can improve the competitiveness of colleges and universities in central and western China to help them pull themselves out of poverty," he said.