As an index of political energy, the first day of the fourth annualsession did nothing to counter the feeling that South Africa's parliament is losing its fizz.
Since the CPPCC's annualsession began on 3 March, about one-tenth of roughly 5, 000 proposals submitted concern environmental protection, including plans to tackle severely polluted groundwater, China Daily reports.
For starters, the global economy seems to have become so unpredictable that the organisers ditched one of the forum's big opening events, the annualsession making an economic forecast for the year ahead.