Govt adopts thrifty tack

By and large, the annual sessions of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the National People's Congress (NPC), popularly known as two sessions, are too predictable to excite the masses.

Year after year, the largest gatherings of local politicians and social elite have followed similar procedures, treaded acquainted political terrains, and endorsed familiar government proposals.

But we do see something different this year. The CPPCC has condensed the schedule of its annual session, which opens today, to nine days. The shortest in the past six years was nine and a half. CPPCC members are accommodated at nearby hotels to shorten commuting distance. Organizers have even decided to hand out fewer printed documents. These are nothing to brag about. But they do give the impression that the grim economic picture has indeed been taken into consideration. We hope all participants will appreciate such considerateness, take it home, and apply it to their daily work.