About 2,900 journalists from home and overseas had registered to cover the upcoming annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) by Monday, according to the meetings' press center.

The number of journalists is almost same as that for last year's sessions in which the new generation of leadership was elected and administrative reform was deepened.

Constitutional amendment is widely regarded as the most important agenda of the Second Session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC).

Other hot issues on the agenda of both sessions include fighting corruption, increasing farmers' income, helping laid-off workers find jobs, improving social security, protecting ecological environment as well as coping with land requisition.

(Xinhua News Agency March 2, 2004)