Todd Bishop
Reuters quoted news from five people familiar with the matter on February 6 that China is considering delaying the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress, the highest legislature, as the new coronavirus epidemic in Wuhan continues to spread.
The National People’s Congress has about 3,000 delegates, and meetings usually begin in March in Beijing.
Reuters reported on February 6 that a senior Chinese government official requesting anonymity stated that “the focus is still on working towards meeting as scheduled, but we are discussing a range of options as the outbreak seems unlikely to be available by March control.”
The official said that “deferring (a meeting) is one of the options” and also said “given that we are in a very difficult time, this should not be surprising.”
If the above information is confirmed, this will be the first time China has postponed the meeting since it set the schedule for the National People’s Congress on March 5, 1995.
