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The annual sessions of China's top legislature and political advisory body are set to open Thursday and Friday.
This year's sessions come at a crucial moment when China is struggling to revitalize its economy while warding off the effects of the coronavirus.
A highlight during the event will be the release of the country's economic targets for this year.
Another major task for China this year is to meet its goal of eradicating poverty.
Around 5,000 people will gather in Beijing for the sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Topics of their discussion are also expected to include the country's first-ever civil code.
U.S. industrial conglomerate Honeywell has opened its emerging market headquarters and innovation center in Wuhan.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has sent a congratulatory letter to the ceremony, saying China's commitment to deepening reforms and opening-up will remain unchanged.
He says China will create a market-oriented and law-based business environment where companies of different ownerships, domestic or foreign, are treated as equals.
He has welcomed enterprises from all over the world to seize the opportunities in China and achieve win-win results.
Currently, Honeywell has over 50 wholly-owned enterprises and joint ventures in more than 30 cities across China, including 21 plants.
A Chinese expert says the country has maintained cooperation with the World Health Organization across the board since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Chief epidemiologist Wu Zunyou with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention explains:
"China's National Health Commission and the WHO China Representative Office have established a regular communication channel. China has also invited WHO experts to the city of Wuhan, once hit hard by the virus, for field visits in January."
He says that Chinese experts have actively participated in the discussion of international technological exchanges on COVID-19, which was held weekly by the UN health agency.
The epidemiologist also says China informed the WHO and other countries about the outbreak of pneumonia, of which the cause was unknown, on January 3.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says the city will address the racial and economic disparities exposed by COVID-19.
Data released by the city on Monday showed that the coronavirus has hit hardest in low income neighborhoods outside Manhattan.
de Blasio says the city will extend resources to communities that have been unfairly denied opportunities.
"Communities that were already hurting, are now taking the hit even harder. We, the city of New York, our city government, we're going to fight back. We're going to use all our tools to fight disparity. We've been doing that in so many ways over the last 6 1/2 years. We're going to amplify those efforts. And that means every conceivable form of redistribution."
The data showed that black and Hispanic New Yorkers were more than twice as likely to be killed by the virus as white people.
A strong cyclone has been moving toward India and Bangladesh.
Cyclone Amphan is expected to make landfall this morning.
It had winds up to 230 kph but is forecast to weaken before landfall.
Forecasters warned of extensive damage from high winds, heavy rainfall, tidal waves and some flooding in crowded cities like Kolkata in India.
Authorities were trying to evacuate millions of people while maintaining social distancing.
After reaching land, the cyclone is expected to move away fast and weaken by tomorrow.
Palestine has declared an end to all agreements and understandings with Israel and the United States.
The decision is in response to Israel's plan to annex parts of the West Bank.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the PLO and the State of Palestine are absolved of all the agreements with Israel and the U.S., including those on security.
He announced the decision in a speech after an urgent leadership meeting held in Ramalla.
Disney veteran Kevin Mayer is leaving the company to become CEO of TikTok, the popular video app owned by Chinese internet giant ByteDance.
Mayer led the successful launch of the Disney plus streaming service in November but in February was passed over as Disney's new chief executive.
