The Press Center for the upcoming National People?s Congress (NPC) and Chinese People?s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is formally up and running at the China Hall of Science and Technology on February 25. Located at No. 3 Fuxing Road, Beijing, the center is responsible for handling certificates of interview and arranging Chinese and foreign correspondents to cover the two sessions.
The Press Center has set up the Administrative Office, the Press Conference Office, and the Liaison Office which is divided into the Domestic Correspondent Group, the Correspondent Group of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan as well as the Foreign Correspondent Group.
The China Hall of Science and Technology has temporarily stopped its normal business operation. From February 25, 160 of its 220 rooms will serve the Press Center and four of six elevators in the hall will be for the use of staff and correspondents of the center. During the period of the conferences, over 100 staff of the Press Center will live there, working 24 hours a day, without break.
The center will provide Chinese and foreign correspondents with relevant documents, materials and schedules of the sessions and provide an information inquiry service. A kiosk display platform for Xinhuanet, peopledaily.com.cn and the china.org.cn has been set up for online information inquiries from Chinese and foreign correspondents. A multi-media database, opened by Xinhua News Agency, can basically satisfy all inquiries on the development of the sessions and other information requirements for the conferences.
The first session of the 10th NPC and the first session of the 10th CPPCC National Committee will begin in Beijing on March 5 and March 3 respectively. Sessions in the year of re-election usually last for a longer time than sessions in previous years.
According to the Press Center, over 2,000 correspondents came to cover the two sessions last year. It is estimated that more correspondents will come this year. Ms Ai, from the Reception Department of the CPPCC work group, said they had handled interview certificates for over 1,000 correspondents so far. It is reported that the registration for foreign correspondents starts on February 26. The final registration statistics will be publicized in two to three days.
(China.org.cn by Wang Qian, February 27, 2003)
