Hong Kong and Macao deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee from the two special administrative regions arrived here Friday to attend respectively the NPC session due to open Monday and the CPPCC National Committee session due to open Saturday.

Henry Ying Tung Fok, vice-chairman of the Ninth CPPCC National Committee, arrived at the Beijing airport at three in the afternoon. Together with him are NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members from Hong Kong.

He told reporters that the sessions will discuss the 10th five-year plan and the development of the western regions, which he said are very important.

The vice-chairman expressed the hope that NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members would talk freely to help the government in decision making.

Lee Lin-Sang, a Hong Kong NPC deputy, said this year's NPC session is very important, as it will review the 10th five-year plan that will affect China's development in the next decades.

Liu Shikun, a pianist and CPPCC National Committee member from Hong Kong, had proposed at last year's session that telephone calls should be charged by seconds instead of minutes.

He said he is pleased that the proposal has been adopted, showing the importance attached by the government to voices from NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members.

Eight members of the Macao delegation to the NPC also arrived here in the afternoon. One of its members is already in Beijing and three others are being expected.

(Xinhua 03/03/2001)