国内英语新闻:China ready for national legislature's annual session

BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- China is ready for the opening of the annual session of its top legislature, with all delegations having arrived in Beijing, according to the session's press center on Sunday.

By Sunday evening, preparations for the first session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), scheduled to open on March 5, have been fulfilled, said the press center.

This year sees a newly-elected national legislature made up of 2,987 deputies from across the country.

Interpreters are rallied to provide simultaneous interpretation for deputies from ethnic groups, which usually keep using their own languages.

Documents for the meeting have been translated into languages used by the ethnic groups, including Mongolian, Tibetan, Uygur, Kazak and Korean.

Documents in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, German and Arabic languages will also be available for foreign media and diplomats during the session, the press center said.

This year's NPC session will witness more use of electronic documents to reduce the cost. Also, there were no welcoming ceremonies upon the arrival of NPC deputies.

Beijing police have canceled the traditional practice of escorting NPC deputies and political advisors with police cars on their way to the Great Hall of the People where the sessions are held.

In January, the NPC Standing Committee said in a statement that expenditures will be tightened for the first session of 12th NPC.

It promised to limit the intensity and duration of traffic controls during the session and keep road closures to a minimum.

All deputies will eat at buffets without expensive food or alcohol, while extravagant galas, gifts and performances will not be arranged.