Beijing, Mar 3 (IANS): China's top political advisory body convened its annual meeting on Thursday in Beijing, starting a political high season that will continue with the opening of the country's top legislature.

More than 2,000 members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) are slated to discuss major political, economic and social issues during this year's session that will continue till March 14, Xinhua news agency reported.

At the opening meeting held in the Great Hall of the People, CPPCC National Committee Chairman Yu Zhengsheng is set to deliver a report on the work of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee over the past year.

President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li Keqiang and other Communist Party of China (CPC) and state leaders attended the opening meeting.

The CPPCC is an organisation in the patriotic united front of the Chinese people, an important organ for multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC, and an important means of promoting socialist democracy in China's political activities.

The main functions of the CPPCC are to conduct political consultation, exercise democratic supervision and participate in the discussion and the handling of state affairs.