"The report presented a panoramic view of Beijing's remarkable achievements in the face of numerous challenges over the past year," said Ian J. Marshall, Ambassador of Grenada to China, who shared his experience and feelings about his first-time participation in the local legislative sessions right after hearing the Beijing government's work report.

A total of 46 diplomats, including nine ambassadors and chargés d'affaires, from 39 embassies in China, including the United States, Germany, Norway, the European Union, the United Arab Emirates, and Sierra Leone, were invited to observe the opening of the Second Session of the Sixteenth Beijing Municipal People's Congress. The event was covered by 17 journalists from 11 foreign, Hong Kong, and Macao media outlets, including the Associated Press, Kyodo News, Lianhe Zaobao, Hong Kong TVB, and Macau News Agency. They all praised Beijing's recent progress, and showed a keen interest in topics such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development, digital economy, and environmental improvement.

Overall, Beijing successfully revitalized its economy last year, with a GDP growth of 5.2 percent, or about 4.4 trillion yuan. Ambassador Marshall attributed such success to the concerted efforts of the society. What was impressive was that Beijing not only encouraged broad participation from all walks of life and the general public in its efforts to strengthen urban governance and improve people's lives, but also stays committed to sharing the benefits of reform and development with people.

Diplomats reading the English version of the Beijing government work report

Photo by Tao Ran from BJNews

The informative report covers all aspects of Beijing's work with a wealth of data. "Beijing, as the capital city, holds a self-evident significance to China," said Norwegian Ambassador to China Signe Brudeset. "This observation is a valuable opportunity for us to see how the city and the country have evolved."

Bishnu Shrestha, Ambassador of Nepal to China, has been fascinated by Beijing for more than a year since he took up his new position. He was thrilled to be invited, saying, "The long paragraph on the 2024 work plan in the report reflects the government's ambition as well as its commitment to the public. It will be no mean feat if such heavy tasks can be accomplished in one year as scheduled."