These events see the country's top leadership, along with thousands of officials and business leaders, meet to outline new laws and strategies for the year ahead.

Earlier reports in the country suggested that this year’s National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislative body, and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the leading national advisory body, would be shorter, and that fewer people would be in attendance than in previous years.

But the latter has certainly not been shown to be the case. The CPPCC opened with a full audience of attendees. Some have been filmed on national television shaking hands with each other outside Beijing's Great Hall of the People.

There are 2,158 members of the CPPCC National Committee. Those attending today's event are all shown wearing masks but the same cannot be said about China’s top leadership, the Politburo.

President Xi Jinping, and other key officials, have been filmed and photographed attending the events without face coverings.