The draft law on promoting agricultural mechanization was approved at the 10th meeting of the 10th Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) which was closed on Friday.

The law, with a blanket of preferential measures for farmers to buy and use agricultural machines, will come into effect from Nov.1, 2004.

During the five-day-long meeting, Chinese lawmakers made the first deliberation on the draft of corporate bankruptcy law and held the second hearing on the draft law on contagious diseases prevention and control and the draft law on electronic signature.

Issues concerning agriculture, the countryside and farmers caught great attention from legislators participating in the meeting, as reports on implementation of the land management law, of a variety of favorable agricultural policies and of financial aid for farmers, were made at the meeting.

Since April this year, the 10th NPC Standing Committee has dispatched 12 inspection groups to different places across the country, which thoroughly investigated and researched the issues concerning agriculture, the countryside and farmers, and finally completed the reports.

The legislators also deliberated and approved a consular agreement between China and New Zealand, protocol on revising the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism signed on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, protocol on revising the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Charter which was signed on June 7, 2002 in St. Petersburg, and protocol on revising the agreement on the establishment of a regional anti-terrorism agency made by SCO member countries also on June 7, 2002 in St. Petersburg.

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)and the Beibu Gulf demarcation agreement between China and Vietnam,as well as State Council reports on 2003 final accounting of revenue and expenditure and on the implementation of the Central budget for 2003 were all approved at the meeting.

(Xinhua News Agency June 26, 2004)