What is China's annual 'Two Sessions' event?
Thousands of delegates from around China are gathering in Beijing for this week's annual session of the country's rubber-stamp legislature and its advisory body.
The 'Two Sessions' include the plenary sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislature, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a body that advises the government on a range of issues.
The event is more a chance for the ruling Communist Party leadership to directly communicate its message than for actual debate or passage of laws.
Security guards at the Great Hall of the People after the opening of the Second Session of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on Sunday
The session also provides an opportunity for party leaders to sum up the past year's achievements and lay out their priorities for the coming 12 months.
It also offers a rare glimpse of President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and other top officials going about the business of governing Chinese style, as the world's most populous nation faces challenges from a slowing economy to a radical decline in its birthrate.
This year, 2,975 delegates have been selected to sit in the NPC, the symbolic legislature, representing cities, provinces and regions from across China, along with the People's Liberation Army.
They are joined by 2,158 members of the legislative advisory body, the CPPCC, which meets concurrently.
Delegates, led mostly by retired government officials, can discuss proposals for legal and regulatory changes, but have no powers of enforcement.
Rather than geographic regions, they generally represent social and professional sectors, including farmers, workers, government officials and professionals in the field of science, technology, business, finance, education, agriculture and entertainment.
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