As in previous years, the Chinese government issued invitations to foreign diplomats in China and various international institutions to observe the annual sessions of the NPC and CPPCC this year.

The envoys sit side by side with Chinese NPC deputies and CPPCC members in the meeting halls.

So many interesting topics

This year, diplomatic envoys were very enthusiastic about observing the sessions of the NPC and CPPCC. Just like the NPC deputies and CPPCC members, they arrived at the conference hall early, collected conference material, and listened to reports.

"A diplomat stationed in any country certainly will certainly pay close attention to the legislative activities of that country," said Peter Michael A. Wilson with the British Embassy in China.

Wilson said he was very lucky to receive tickets because he only assumed office a few weeks ago. However, he found it difficult to decide which sittings he would like to attend because there were so many topics he found interesting.

Of course, Premier Wen Jiabao's Government Work Report, delivered on the first day of the 5th session of the 10th National People's Congress on March 5 was the general focus of most foreign diplomats.

The French Embassy sent three observers to the meetings. The Counselor of Press and Communication, Olivier Guyonvarch, said that the report allowed people to "see the changes in China's policies and its future."

According to statistics, on March 5 alone, 238 diplomats from 155 countries and international organizations observed the meeting, of which 71 were ambassadors.

Impressed by China's economic progress

"We have been impressed with the progress of China's economy. Premier Wen Jiabao has addressed many issues for society's attention in the near future. And all these issues have been highlighted in the plan for the year 2007," said Iacob Timciuc, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova.

Egyptian Ambassador Mahmoud Allam holds the same view. This is the second time that he has observed the two sessions. "Premier Wen elaborated on the progress made by China in various fields, accurately analyzed the social situation of the country, and identified areas that need to be reformed," Allam said.

Allam also noted that technological innovation is a very important issue to China at present. Based on the information in the report, the country has made "significant progress".

Minister Counselor at the Palestinian Embassy in China, Zakaria M. A. Abudabbouseh, has lived and worked in China for more than 20 years. Zakaria says it is encouraging that the Chinese government has fulfilled most of the targets it set in 2006.

The Second Secretary of the Finnish Embassy in China, Puustinen Mikko Tapio, has been an observer at the two sessions for six consecutive years. He said that, like in previous years, Premier Wen's report prioritized low-income earners, especially farmers. "Nordic people attach great importance to the efforts of the government in improving the living standards of all the people in a country, not just some of them."

Although the diplomats affirmed China's significant achievements, they also said that not all problems have been solved. China is still facing great challenges. There are still many problems worthy of attention, such shrinking the divide between urban and rural areas, striking a balance between eastern and western regions, solving energy and environmental problems and more.

"China brings harmony to the world"

The envoys were optimistic about the Chinese government's ability to solve to the current problems.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia, Marjan Cencen, said, "The work report adopts a very open attitude to the challenges. The Chinese government is not only concerned about the economic development of the country, but also to problems of great importance to China's future, such as the environment, energy-saving, regional development, et cetera.

"There is hardly any government that has succeeded in the very early stages of its plans. The important point is that the Chinese government is trying to find the right way to solve these problems," Marjan Cencen stressed.

Mr Tapio from the Finnish Embassy also pointed out that China accelerated rural development and improved the income, among other things, a few years ago. This year it will abolish all fees and tuition costs for students in rural areas while they are undertaking their compulsory education.

"I feel that the Chinese government is endeavoring to solve practical problems step-by-step," he said.

"No matter what kind of new laws and regulations are formulated during the two sessions, they will have a wide impact on both China and the world," noted the Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania, Omar Ramadhan Mapuri.

Mapuri also added, "China is actively seeking more ways to open up the country, which will benefit people around the world. With its increasing influence in international affairs, China will help bring harmony to the world."

By People's Daily Online