Turning now to an electoral fraud case that has shocked the nation. The National People's Congress, China's top legislature, has disqualified 45 NPC deputies from Liaoning Province for vote-buying and bribery. China's top legislator, Zhang Dejiang, said the case was the first of its kind to occur at a provincial level since the founding of China in 1949. He added that the case challenged the Chinese political system, and that the central government would take a zero-tolerance approach toward similar cases.

An NPC Standing Committee session was provisionally convened on Tuesday, which published a report confirming the violation of electoral law, and made the decision to remove the 45 national lawmakers. The session usually convenes every two months, making Tuesday's meeting the first time a session has been held provisionally in 12 years.