China's legislature Monday started to deliberate on the draft of the bankruptcy law and hear reports on agriculture, rural areas and farmers during a five-day legislative meeting starting June 21.

Issues concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers have been drawing great attention from legislators participating in the meeting, who will hear the reports on implementation of the land management law, of a variety of favorable agricultural policies and of financial aid for farmers.

Since April this year, the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) has sent 12 inspection teams to different areas in the country, which thoroughly researched and looked into the issues concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and finally completed the reports.

The legislature Monday made first deliberation on the draft lawon bankruptcy, which is expected to help regulate enterprises' conduct in applying for bankruptcy and lay a legal foundation for courts to hold just and fair trials on bankruptcy cases.

The draft law, which would apply to all kinds of enterprises, attaches great importance to safeguarding the interests of the parties concerned and to establishing both mechanisms to eliminatedisfunct enterprises by the means of competitions and to rescue enterprises in bankruptcy troubles, which still have surviving chances.

The legislature also held the second hearing on the draft law on promoting agricultural mechanization, the draft law on contagious diseases prevention and control and the draft law on online signature.

According to schedule, the legislators will also deliberate andapprove a consular agreement between China and New Zealand, a protocol to revise the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism,Separatism and Extremism signed on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, a protocol on revising the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Charter which was signed on June 7, 2002 in St. Petersburg, and a protocol on revising the agreement on the establishment of a regional anti-terrorism agency made by SCO member countries also on June 7, 2002 in St. Petersburg.

Other major items to be discussed or awaiting approval at the meeting include the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and the Beibu Gulf demarcation agreement betweenChina and Vietnam, as well as State Council reports on 2003 final accounting of revenue and expenditure and on the implementation ofthe Central budget for 2003.