[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] China has postponed its largest political event, the Two Sessions, for the first time since the reform and opening-up in 1978 due to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency on the 24th, the National People's Congress (NPC) of China resolved at the 16th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC held in Beijing on the same day to postpone the 3rd session of the 13th NPC, which was scheduled to open on the 5th. Although the NPC Standing Committee confirmed the postponement, the new date for holding the NPC will be decided later.
This is the first time since 1978, when the Two Sessions began to be held annually, that China has postponed the event. The decision to postpone the Two Sessions was made considering the spread of COVID-19. As of the 23rd, China's cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases totaled 77,150, with 2,592 deaths reported.
During the Two Sessions, more than 5,000 people from across the country travel to Beijing to attend the meetings, which was judged to pose a high risk of infection.
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