Reporters from domestic and foreign media outlets are gathering for China's annual sessions of its top legislative and political advisory bodies, known as the two sessions, as a news center for the sessions opened.

The third session of the 14th National People's Congress will start on Wednesday, and the third session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference will open on Tuesday. The news center officially opened at the Media Center Hotel in Beijing on Thursday morning.

According to official data from the news center, more than 3,000 journalists, including more than 1,000 from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, Taiwan and foreign countries, have registered to cover the two sessions this year, exceeding the number last year.

"This year, I'm particularly focused on the development of artificial intelligence represented by DeepSeek and how it will drive the advancement of new quality productive forces," said Hoi Lui, a senior reporter with Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group, who started covering the two sessions 25 years ago.

Last year's Government Work Report outlined AI development plans, and this year, Hoi said he is eager to see specific AI-related deployments in the premier's Government Work Report.

"Over the past two decades, I've observed some trends in China's development based on the topics discussed at the two sessions, such as the nation's unwavering emphasis on sci-tech innovation, growing prioritization of people's livelihoods, and the emergence of ecological protection as a new strategic focus," he said.

"Confronting challenges like the United States' tariff policy and technological containment policies, Hong Kong's development stability owes much to the robust safeguards and growth momentum generated through integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. National strength remains the decisive cornerstone for the prosperity of Hong Kong and Macao."

On the first day of the news center's operation, journalists covering the two sessions engaged in lively discussions about this year's "three groundbreaking phenomena" — China's lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, which is fostering people-to-people diplomacy, DeepSeek reshaping global AI through open-source technology, and the movie Ne Zha 2's cultural soft power overseas.

"These breakthroughs highlight the transformative power of grassroots diplomacy," said Wang Weiwei, a reporter for Workers' Daily.

"DeepSeek's open-source model not only democratizes technology but vividly embodies the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind. I expect related discussions during this year's two sessions," Wang added.

yandongjie@chinadaily.com.cn