(3 Mar 2009)
1. Wide of plenary session of Second Session of the 11th National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)
2. Pan of Chinese President Hu Jintao and other officials walking to seats
3. Chinese leaders clapping, including Premier Wen Jiabao, Hu and Jia Qinglin, Chairman of National Committee of CPPCC (bottom right corner)
4. Tilt down from ceiling to wide of delegates at start of session
5. Jia walking to podium
6. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Jia Qinglin, Chairman of National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC):
"Taking different stages of economic development into consideration, we promptly proposed that China should maintain a certain amount of flexibility in its tight monetary policy, prevent prices from rising too quickly while forestalling large fluctuations in the economy."
7. Wide of delegates in Great Hall of the People
8. Wide of delegates clapping
9. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Jia Qinglin, Chairman of National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC):
"We unequivocally supported the Party and government in dealing with the destructive and disruptive, violent and illegal incidents in Lhasa, Tibet and other areas in accordance with the law. We organised investigation teams to conduct research in Tibet, Qinghai and Yunnan and submitted suggestions on ways to safeguard national security in Tibet and other ethnic Tibetan areas."
10. Mid of leaders
11. Wide of applause
STORYLINE:
China's main government advisory body on Tuesday expressed support for the crackdown on rioters in Tibet last year but said the government needed to better explain its policies to the rest of world.
In opening the body's annual session, Jia Qinglin reinforced the government's approach to dissent among Tibetans, just days ahead of the anniversary of a March 14 riot in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, that sparked the biggest anti-government protests in decades.
"We unequivocally supported the party and government in dealing with the destructive and disruptive, violent and illegal incidents in Lhasa, Tibet and other areas in accordance with the law," Jia said in a nationally televised speech from the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.
The riots in Lhasa left at least 22 dead and resulted in the government clamping down on ethnic Tibetan areas throughout the country.
China claims that Tibet has always been part of its territory, but many Tibetans say the Himalayan region was virtually independent for centuries.
Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, heads a self-proclaimed government-in-exile in northern India but says he is only seeking autonomy, not independence, for the region.
Jia's body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, is tasked with submitting non-binding suggestions to the legislature, the National People's Congress, which begins its annual session on Thursday.
After a year that saw the Tibet riots, the devastating Sichuan earthquake and the triumphant Beijing Summer Olympics, China now must turn its attention to creating jobs, boosting health care and improving food safety, Jia said.
The annual meeting of the conference, which runs until March 12, and the NPC's nine-day session, are the first for China since the worldwide financial meltdown started last year.
Both are widely expected to yield further measures to stimulate the economy.
Jia said the meeting would focus on hot issues such as employment, the social safety net, education and environmental protection.
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