China legislature giving more seats to women, workers

In this photo taken March 5, 2017, Vice Premier Wang Yang, left, chats with Sun Zhengcai, party secretary of Chongqing during the opening session of the National People's Congress in Beijing, China. Sun and Wang among others are contenders for the Politburo Standing Committee in the upcoming ruling Communist Party's 19th National Congress to be held in late 2017. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) (The Associated Press)

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In this Wednesday, March 8, 2017 photo, Lei Jun, center, the billionaire founder of Xiaomi and a delegate to China's National People's Congress, arrives for a plenary session of the legislature at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Increasingly known as a rich man's club, China's National People's Congress now plans to give more seats to women, farmers, workers and professionals, as the official Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday that changes to the makeup of the ceremonial legislature would also reduce the proportion of delegates representing the ruling Communist Party and government departments. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) (The Associated Press)

In this Wednesday, March 8, 2017, photo, a female delegates, center, poses for a souvenir photo before a plenary session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Increasingly known as a rich man's club, China's ceremonial legislature now plans to give more seats to women, farmers, workers and professionals. The official Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday, March 9, 2017 that changes to the makeup of the National People's Congress would also reduce the proportion of delegates representing the ruling Communist Party and government departments, who now constitute about one-third of the roughly 3,000 members. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) (The Associated Press)

BEIJING – China's ceremonial legislature has increasingly become known as a rich man's club but now it plans to give more seats to women, farmers, workers and professionals.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday that changes to the makeup of the National People's Congress would also reduce the proportion of delegates representing the Communist Party and government, who now constitute about one-third of the roughly 3,000 members.

Xinhua gave no details on what the new quotas would be. When the current legislature was seated in 2013, 23 percent of its members were women. No figures were immediately available on workers and others.

Over recent years, the NPC and its advisory body have become known as the wealthiest assemblies in the world, with scores of overwhelmingly male dollar billionaires among their ranks.