Events and stories coming up in the next few days

CPPCC members to hold first news conference

The first news conference of the fifth session of the 12th CPPCC National Committee will be held on Monday in the Great Hall of the People. Five CPPCC members, including Li Yining, a leading economist at Peking University, and Chen Xiwen, former deputy director of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, will address the media.

European leaders to meet ahead of Rome summit

French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will meet in Versailles, France, on Monday. They will prepare for a summit on the European Union's future after the departure of the United Kingdom from the bloc. The summit, which will be held in Rome on March 25, will also mark 60 years since the beginning of the European Economic Community that became part of the broader EU.

China Daily report to explore Shandong's war on poverty

About 43 million Chinese are still struggling with poverty, despite the country's status as the world's second-largest economy. The central government has vowed to eradicate poverty by 2020. One province that has taken several steps to fight poverty is Shandong. In the coming days, China Daily will publish an in-depth report on Shandong's initiative. Last year, its policies helped lift 1.5 million people out of poverty.

Statistics bureau to release key data for 50 cities

On Monday, the National Bureau of Statistics will release the prices of food and raw materials for 50 major cities. The prices form one of the major indicators for the consumer price index, the main gauge of inflation. China's CPI rose 2.5 percent year-on-year in January, following a 2.1 percent rise in December, the bureau said.