The 10th National People's Congress will begin its third annual full session on March 5, next year in Beijing.
The 13th meeting of the NPC Standing Committee, which concluded yesterday afternoon, passed a resolution regarding the schedule of next year's NPC annual session.
Also yesterday, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress expelled five NPC deputies from the legislature.
The NPC Standing Committee proposed that the draft anti-secession law (see story below), which was examined during this meeting, be submitted to the third annual session of the NPC for deliberation.
The annual session should also discuss and decide on Jiang Zemin's request to resign from chairman of the Central Military Commission. If the resignation is accepted, the NPC will elect a new chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Also on the agenda is examining and approving the Report on the Implementation of both Central and Local Budgets for 2004 and the Draft for Central and Local Budgets for 2005.
It will also decide on the number of members of the CMC and the NPC Standing Committee, as well as discuss reports regarding the work of the NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.
The expelled deputies are Zhang Junyuan, former director of the Communications Department of the Jiangsu provincial government; Wu Zhenhan, former president of Hunan Higher People's Court; Xu Yandong, former president of Heilongjiang Higher People's Court; Xu Fa, procurator of Heilongjiang Provincial People's Procuratorate; and Liu Guangzhi, president of Air Force Command College.
The NPC said Zhang and Wu were expelled as NPC deputies by their provincial people's congresses due to corruption.
The bulletin also said Xu Yandong and Xu Fa were removed from their posts due to economic crimes. Both requested to resign as NPC deputies. Their provincial people's congress accepted the resignations.
Liu Guangzhi was removed from the presidency of the college due to economic crimes, and his resignation request was also approved by the people's congress of the air force, according to the bulletin.