The 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, opened its third session on Wednesday morning at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, and other Chinese leaders were among the 2,880 NPC deputies present at the opening meeting.
Premier Li Qiang delivered a government work report on behalf of the State Council for deliberation.
During the session scheduled from March 5 to 11, NPC deputies will hear the report on the work of the government, review the report on the implementation of the 2024 plan for national economic and social development and on the 2025 draft plan, and the draft plan for national economic and social development in 2025. They will also review the report on the execution of the central and local budgets for 2024 and on the draft central and local budgets for 2025, as well as the draft central and local budgets for 2025.
Additionally, NPC deputies will hear an explanation on the draft amendment to the Law on Deputies to the National People's Congress and to the Local People's Congresses at Various Levels.
In the afternoon, NPC delegations will hold meetings to deliberate the government work report.
China's national legislature starts annual session
China's national legislature starts annual session
China's national legislature starts annual session
As the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues, global anticipation is soaring ahead of the biggest ever edition of the showpiece soccer event, with orders for related goods surging in Yiwu, an eastern Chinese city known as "the world's supermarket".
The expanded 2026 tournament will feature a record number of 48 teams and see the competition being hosted across three countries for the first time, with matches scheduled to take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
In the sports goods section of the Yiwu International Trade Market in Zhejiang Province, buyers from all around the world can be seen enthusiastically patrolling the huge marketplace with lengthy order lists, searching for the products they need.
With replica jerseys, memorabilia items, and top-quality sports gear all on offer, vendors are keen to tap into the fan fever ahead of the international footballing extravaganza.
For many, the World Cup is a once-every-four-years highlight, and with this year's tournament set to be bigger than ever, business opportunities are in abundance.
"Since the tournament is being hosted by three countries, the volume may be even higher than before. Orders could increase by 50 percent compared to previous World Cups. Today, we are also preparing an order to be shipped by air," said Chen Jian, a vendor at the Yiwu International Trade Market.
As sales climb, production lines are also running at full speed. In a local football factory, machines roar and workers skillfully glue and stitch, turning out brand-new footballs on the assembly line. As the 2026 World Cup fast approaches, the company's football-related sales have skyrocketed, with daily output reaching 4,000 balls and the firm seeing almost no inventory backlog.
According to customs data, exports of sports goods and equipment from Yiwu reached 2.34 billion yuan (about 340 million U.S. dollars) in January and February 2026, up 38.5 percent year on year.
The Yiwu International Trade Market has become an important center for foreign trade, housing nearly 80,000 booths offering over two million types of commodities, with the market maintaining trade ties with 233 countries and regions worldwide.
World Cup fever drives export boom from China's Yiwu as orders surge
