The press center for the upcoming annual sessions of China's top legislature and a national advisory body began operation on February 26.   

Located in the Great Hall Hotel near the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing, the press center consists of press desks for media from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and those outside China.

A spokesman for the press center said their staff began to receive journalists and make interview appointments for them on February 26.

The services available at the press center include documents from the sessions, background materials, session agenda and information enquiry.

The Second Session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC)opens on March 5 and the Second Session of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) will begin on March 3.

The NPC is the top legislative body in China, while the CPPCC is a broad-based national advisory organization consisting of experts and citizens from all walks of life. The CPPCC plays a supervisory role and accepts suggestions and criticisms which relate to major state affairs and policies and other important issues.

Resident foreign correspondents in China who want to cover the meetings are required to send their applications to the press center, and foreign correspondents who come to China for the events should send their applications to the Chinese embassies or consulates in their countries, or to the commissioner's offices of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong and Macao.

(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2004)