Xi Jinping and others were seated on the rostrum at the opening of the fourth session of the 14th National people's Congress.

The Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress Opens in Beijing

Xi Jinping, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, Han Zheng, and others sit on the rostrum

Li Qiang Delivers Government Work Report, Zhao Leji Presides Over the Meeting

Review of the Draft Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan

Hear explanations on the draft Ecological Environment Code, the draft Law on Promoting National Unity and Progress, and the draft National Development Planning Law, etc.

On March 5, the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress opened at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Party and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, Han Zheng, and others attended the meeting. Xinhua News Agency reporter Xie Huan Chi took the photo.

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 5 - The Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress opened on the morning of the 5th at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. NPC deputies, bearing the trust of the people, attended the meeting to fulfill the sacred duties conferred by the Constitution and laws.

The atmosphere in the Great Hall of the People was solemn and warm, with the national emblem in the center of the rostrum curtain shining brightly against the vivid red flags.

On the morning of March 5, the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress opened at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Ye took the photo.

Zhao Leji, the executive chairman of the presidium of the conference, presided over the meeting. The executive chairmen of the presidium, Li Hongzhong, Wang Dongming, Xiao Jie, Zheng Jianbang, Ding Zhongli, Cai Dafeng, He Wei, Wu Weihua, Tie Ning, Peng Qinghua, Zhang Qingwei, Losang Jamcan, Shekareti Zakir, and Liu Qi, sat in the executive chairman's seats on the rostrum.

Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, Han Zheng, and members of the presidium sat on the rostrum.

The Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress should have 2,878 delegates present. At the meeting on the morning of the 5th, 2,765 were present, 113 were absent, and the number of attendees met the legal requirement.

On the morning of March 5, the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress opened at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Zhao Leji presided over the opening ceremony. Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Hong took the photo.

At 9 a.m., Zhao Leji announced: The Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China is now open. The entire assembly stood and sang the national anthem.

On the morning of March 5, the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress opened at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Premier Li Qiang delivered the government work report. Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Jingwen took the photo.

According to the meeting agenda, Premier Li Qiang, on behalf of the State Council, delivered the government work report to the assembly. The report is divided into four parts: 1. Review of work in 2025; 2. Main goals and major tasks for the 15th Five-Year Plan period; 3. Overall requirements and policy directions for economic and social development in 2026; 4. Government work tasks for 2026.

Li Qiang pointed out in the report that 2025 was an extraordinary year. Facing profound and complex changes in domestic and international situations, the Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country to overcome difficulties and strive hard, unswervingly implementing the new development concept, promoting high-quality development, coordinating the domestic and international overall situations, and successfully completing the main goals and tasks of economic and social development for the year, marking a successful conclusion to the 14th Five-Year Plan, and making new solid steps in Chinese-style modernization.

Li Qiang pointed out in the report that we have deeply studied and implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implemented the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and its plenary sessions, and according to the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, we have mainly done the following work over the past year: First, implemented more proactive macro policies to stabilize economic operations; second, adhered to innovation-driven development to build a modern industrial system; third, further deepened reform and opening up to smooth the national economic cycle; fourth, coordinated the promotion of new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization to promote coordinated development of urban and rural areas; fifth, effectively ensured people's livelihood and actively developed social undertakings; sixth, accelerated the construction of a beautiful China to promote green and low-carbon development; seventh, continuously strengthened government construction and innovated and improved social governance.

Li Qiang pointed out in the report that over the past five years, the Party and the country's undertakings have achieved new major achievements, and the new journey towards the second centenary goal has made a good start. The 14th Five-Year Plan Outline's 20 main indicators, 17 major strategic tasks, and 102 major engineering projects have been successfully completed.

Li Qiang pointed out in the report that according to the "Suggestions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development," the State Council has compiled the "Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China (Draft)" and submitted it to the assembly for review. Implementing the main goals clarified in the Party Central Committee's "Suggestions," the "Outline (Draft)" proposes 20 main indicators in detail; it elaborates on the major strategic tasks of the 15th Five-Year Plan development in various fields, highlighting four aspects: first, highlighting the promotion of high-quality development; second, highlighting the strengthening of the domestic economic cycle; third, highlighting the promotion of common prosperity for all people; fourth, highlighting the coordination of development and security; focusing on promoting the implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan's goals and tasks, considering strategic, guiding, and continuous aspects, the "Outline (Draft)" proposes 109 major projects in six areas.

Li Qiang proposed in the report that the main expected goals for development this year are: economic growth of 4.5% - 5%, striving for better results in actual work; urban surveyed unemployment rate around 5.5%, with more than 12 million new urban jobs; resident consumer price increase of about 2%; resident income growth in sync with economic growth; basic balance of international payments; grain output of about 1.4 trillion jin; reduction of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by about 3.8%.

Li Qiang proposed in the report that the Party Central Committee has made comprehensive arrangements for this year's work, and we must thoroughly implement and solidly carry out all tasks: focus on building a strong domestic market; accelerate the cultivation and growth of new momentum; accelerate high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement; continue to deepen reform in key areas; further expand high-level opening up; solidly promote comprehensive rural revitalization; promote new urbanization and regional coordinated development; make greater efforts to ensure and improve people's livelihood; accelerate the comprehensive green transformation; strengthen risk prevention and resolution and safety capacity building in key areas.

In the report, Li Qiang also elaborated on strengthening the government's self-construction, ethnic, religious, and overseas Chinese affairs work, national defense and military modernization, the development of Hong Kong and Macau, cross-strait relations, and China's foreign policy.

According to the meeting agenda, the assembly reviewed the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, the State Council's report on the implementation of the 2025 national economic and social development plan and the draft plan for 2026, and the draft central and local budgets for 2026.

Entrusted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Vice Chairman Li Hongzhong of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress made explanations on the draft Ecological Environment Code, the draft Law on Promoting National Unity and Progress, and the draft National Development Planning Law.

The explanation on the draft Ecological Environment Code pointed out that compiling the Ecological Environment Code, which codifies the theoretical, institutional, and practical achievements of ecological civilization construction since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and perfects the ecological environment legal system, is of great and far-reaching significance. The guiding ideology for compiling the Ecological Environment Code is: adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance, deeply understand the decisive significance of the "two establishments," enhance the "four consciousnesses," strengthen the "four self-confidences," achieve the "two safeguards," thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and its plenary sessions, adhere to the organic unity of the Party's leadership, the people being the masters of the country, and the rule of law, closely focus on coordinating the promotion of the "five-in-one" overall layout and the "four comprehensives" strategic layout, focus on building a more complete socialist rule of law system with Chinese characteristics, building a higher-level socialist rule of law country, summarize practical experience, adapt to the requirements of the times, and simultaneously promote high-quality development and high-level protection, comprehensively and systematically compile, revise, and edit the current ecological environment legal system mechanisms and rules and regulations on pollution prevention, ecological protection, green and low-carbon development, forming an Ecological Environment Code led by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping's ecological civilization thought, with Chinese characteristics, reflecting the characteristics of the times, reflecting the will of the people, systematically standardized and coordinated, providing a complete ecological environment rule of law guarantee for the comprehensive construction of a socialist modernized country and the realization of the second centenary goal, and comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization. According to the explanation, the draft consists of 5 parts and 1,242 articles, with each part being General Provisions, Pollution Prevention, Ecological Protection, Green and Low-Carbon Development, Legal Responsibilities, and Supplementary Provisions.

The explanation on the draft Law on Promoting National Unity and Progress pointed out that implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, based on the historical position of the Party's ethnic work in the new era, fully implementing the provisions, principles, and spirit of the Constitution, formulating the Law on Promoting National Unity and Progress to solidify the legal foundation for forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and promoting the construction of the Chinese national community, is of great significance for comprehensively promoting the cause of national unity and progress, and for uniting and striving for the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the nation with Chinese-style modernization. The legislation adheres to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance, deeply studies and implements Xi Jinping's thought on the rule of law, Xi Jinping's cultural thought, and General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work, fully implements the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and its plenary sessions, carefully summarizes the historic achievements and successful experiences of ethnic work since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, takes forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation as the main line, and promotes the high-quality development of the cause of national unity and progress. The draft adopts a "preamble + 7 chapters" structure, with a total of 64 articles.

The explanation on the draft National Development Planning Law pointed out that by carefully summarizing the successful experiences of national development planning work over the years, the National Development Planning Law is formulated to clarify the guiding ideology and principles that national development planning work should adhere to, and to make comprehensive and systematic provisions on the specific procedures for the preparation, review and approval, implementation, and supervision of national development planning, providing a strong institutional guarantee for scientifically preparing and effectively implementing national development planning on the track of the rule of law. The legislation adheres to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance, thoroughly implements the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and its plenary sessions, adheres to a people-centered approach, fully and accurately implements the new development concept, summarizes the successful experiences of national development planning work over the years, especially since the new era, takes the Constitution as the basis, establishes effective practices over the years as legal system norms, focuses on improving the rule of law level of national development planning work, better plays the strategic guiding role of national development planning, and better plays the advantages of the national system and governance efficiency. The draft is divided into 6 chapters, with a total of 38 articles.

Also seated on the rostrum were: Wang Yi, Yin Li, Shi Taifeng, Liu Guozhong, Li Ganjie, Li Shulei, He Lifeng, Zhang Guoqing, Chen Wenqing, Chen Jining, Chen Min'er, Yuan Jiajun, Huang Kunming, Liu Jinguo, Wang Xiaohong, Zhang Shengmin, Wu Zhenglong, Shen Yiqin, Zhang Jun, Ying Yong, Hu Chunhua, Shen Yueyue, Wang Yong, Zhou Qiang, Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai, Ho Hau Wah, Leung Chun-ying, Batel, Su Hui, Shao Hong, Gao Yunlong, Mu Hong, Xian Hui, Wang Dongfeng, Jiang Xinzhi, Jiang Zuojun, He Baoxiang, Wang Guangqian, Qin Boyong, Zhu Yongxin, Yang Zhen, etc.

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Lee and Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region Ho Iat Seng attended the meeting and sat on the rostrum.

Members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference attending the Fourth Session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference attended the assembly.

Relevant department heads of central and state organs, relevant units of the People's Liberation Army and the Armed Police Force, and relevant leaders of various people's organizations attended or observed the assembly.

Foreign diplomats in China observed the assembly.