China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), closed its nine-and-half-day annual session on Monday morning after it adopted a number of work reports and ratified the Anti-Secession Law.

The top legislature adopted reports on the government’s work, economic and social development, the central and local budgets, and the work of the NPC Standing Committee and of the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

NPC deputies during the session approved the resignation of Jiang Zemin from the chairmanship of the state Central Military Commission and elected Hu Jintao to succeed him.

Following Hu's nomination, the top legislature agreed to add four new members to the state Central Military Commission. It now has 11 members, the highest number since the beginning of 1990s.

Wu Bangguo, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said in his closing speech that deputies to the top legislature "highly evaluated Jiang Zemin's outstanding contributions to the Communist Party of China (CPC), the state and the army, as well as the Chinese people."

Deputies also welcomed Hu's succession, which was expected as he had already taken the posts of general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, president of China and chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission.

"Comrade Hu Jintao's succession carries popular support and is conducive to upholding the principle of the Party's absolute leadership over the military, and to the strengthening of the military's reform, modernization and regularization," said Wu.

Deputies unanimously held that China, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Hu Jintao as general secretary, had scored great achievements over the past year in its reform, opening up and modernization.

The top legislature adopted the Anti-Secession Law with 2,896 voting for it and none against, setting up a legal framework to prevent Taiwan from seceding from China and promote peaceful national reunification.

The NPC currently has 2,988 members and convenes an annual full session, usually in March. The NPC Standing Committee serves as the executive body when top legislature is not in session.

(Xinhua News Agency March 14, 2005)