NPC concludes annual session in Beijing
The second annual session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) concluded in Beijing on Monday. President Xi Jinping and other leaders attended the closing at the Great Hall of the People.  NPC Standing Committee chairman Zhao Leji hailed the meeting a success. "The result of this meeting has fully demonstrated the alliance of the will of the party and the will of the people. It's also showcased the advantage of the whole process people's democracy and China's fundamental political system," he said. "Let us unite firmly under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, unite our strengths and forge ahead to comprehensively advance Chinese modernisation, and build China into a strong, modern, socialist country." After the closing speech, a Hong Kong deputy to the NPC, Herman Hu, said a lot was achieved during what he called a "condensed" period. "We accomplished a lot of work within seven days. I think we've all achieved a lot. The government, and the Supreme Court, and all the departments gave a very detailed report. I think of course Hong Kong affairs are important, but there are many more important things," he said.  Hu added that the SAR can contribute a lot to the development of the Greater Bay Area.  Nancy Ip, NPC deputy and president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said she was glad that innovative technology had been a focus, adding that the week-long meeting was "comprehensive".  "It's wonderful to see that science and technology is being highlighted in the report. And I think going forward, Hong Kong can contribute to science and technology development in the country," she said.    Another NPC member, Nicholas Chan, said the meeting had been a "call to action" for members to become more productive.  "New quality productive forces have become a bit of a buzzword during the two sessions. This was stressed by President Xi in September last year. And this is a call to action for the nation to get together and put the ideas together and apply innovation, maybe entrepreneurship," he said.  "We should all put our minds together, brainstorm and combine our forces and come up with new models, new platforms, new ideas, new inventions so we could be more productive."