Overseas journalists who cover the upcoming NPC and CPPCC annual sessions are for the first time allowed to contact and interview lawmakers and political advisors "directly".

The Fifth Session of Tenth National People's Congress and the Fifth Session of the Tenth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), or "two sessions", are slated to begin on March 5 and March 3.

In the past, overseas journalists who intended to interview NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members during the "two sessions" were required to contact the "two sessions" press center first and ask the press center's staff to contact lawmakers and political advisors.

The "two sessions" are the first after China issued regulations granting foreign, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan journalists more freedom to report in China in the run-up to and during the 2008 Olympic Games. The "two sessions" press center has vowed to provide more convenience to overseas journalists.

"The new regulations will facilitate overseas journalist's reporting," said an official of the press center.

By 5:00 PM Thursday, 2,309 journalists from the Chinese mainland and overseas areas had been registered at the press center to report the upcoming "two sessions", including 1,413 Chinese mainland journalists, 392 journalists from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and 504 foreign journalists.

The press center releases a digital map on its website on which the accommodation addresses of all 35 NPC delegations are marked. "It is the first time for the NPC to release the accommodation addresses of its delegations along its history of more than 50 years," said the press center official.

The press center website also provides detailed background information about NPC deputies, relevant laws and sessions of NPC Standing Committee.

Also for the first time, the press center provides electronic application forms for journalists. Journalists who want to cover the "two sessions" can download application forms from the press center website and send it back after filling in them.

"The electronic application forms are widely welcomed by journalists from home and abroad. A large number of them have registered and obtained 'two sessions' report permit cards via e-application forms," said the press center official.

During the "two sessions", government work report in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian and Japanese versions will be provided to foreign journalists, while the work report of NPC Standing Committee will for the first time be translated into English, the reports explaining the draft property law and draft corporate income tax law will also have English versions.

(Xinhua News Agency March 2, 2007)