Xi Jinping, Hu Jintao stand side by side at the opening of NPC in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People

The first session of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC) opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2013. <Xinhua/NEWSis/Li Gang>

Communist Party chief Xi Jinping, right, Chinese President Hu Jintao, left, and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrive for the opening session of the annual National People’s Congress in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, China, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. China’s government promised its people Tuesday deficit-fueled spending to fight corruption, improve the despoiled environment and address other quality-of-life issues that a growing number of Chinese are demanding.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is displayed on a screen as he delivers the work report at the opening session of the annual National People’s Congress in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, China, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. <AP Photo/NEWSis/Ng Han Guan>