Nearly 1,000 foreign journalists and information officers from foreign embassies are expected to report on the annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) starting in Beijing next week.

He Jiangchuan, an official with the organizing committee for the reception of foreign journalists, said 834 foreign journalists from 126 countries had submitted applications for attending the meetings before the Friday morning deadline.

More than 150 press officials from foreign embassies and international organizations will also cover the proceedings. In all, the number of applicants was 25 percent more than the previous year, he said.

"Reporters are eager to find out the agenda for the meetings. The press conference scheduled to be held by the premier and the foreign minister would attract the greatest media attention," he said.

A special media center has been set up at the Media Center Hotel, next to the Military Museum. The center will provide free Internet access, books and information material to all journalists. A meeting room that can hold 200 journalists is also being temporarily set up for press conferences, he said.

Konstantin Shchepin, a senior reporter with Russia's RIANovosti news agency said he would be most interested in the opening speech by Premier Wen Jiabao and press conferences by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and senior officials from the National Development and Reform Commission.

"The most attractive topic would be on how China is coping with the financial crisis. It will become the hottest issueChina is trying hard to maintain its rate of growth amid the recession and we will pay special attention to it," he said.

"Premier Wen introduced China's economic stimulus package when he visited Europe, and we are looking forward to see if China is going to draw up any more stimulus packages. As the third largest economy in the world today, what China does influences Singapore and the world," said Peh Shing Huei, the China bureau chief of the Singapore-based Straits Times.

"We are most interested in agriculture, especially how China is helping its rural population get rich," said Niklas, a correspondent with Swedish Television.

(China Daily March 3, 2009)