A total of 2763 NPC deputies attending the meeting elected the 166-member presidium and adopted the agenda for the session, due to open Tuesday.

Tian Jiyun, a vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, was elected secretary-general of the 10.5-day session.

Li Peng, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the meeting. He called on the deputies to carry out their constitutional duties and implement the tasks on the agenda for the annual session.

Items on the agenda include:

-- Hearing and examining Premier Zhu Rongji's report on government work;

-- Hearing and examining a report on the implementation of the 2001 national economic and social development plan and a draft plan for 2002 national economic and social development; and approve the said report and plan.

-- Hearing, examining and approving a report on the execution of the 2001 central and local budgets and the central and local draft budgets for 2002;

-- Hearing and examining a report on the work of the NPC Standing Committee;

-- Examining a draft resolution for the election of deputies to the 10th NPC;

-- Hearing and examining the work reports by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

(People's Daily March 4, 2002)