An election committee member votes at a meeting on Saturday to elect deputies to represent Taiwan at the upcoming plenary session of China's top legislature. [Photo: cnsphoto] 

Thirteen deputies to represent Taiwan at the upcoming plenary session of China's top legislature were elected on Saturday via a secret ballot.

One hundred and twenty election committee members voted at a meeting held in the Great Hall of the People on Saturday afternoon.

Elected deputies of Taiwan to the 11th National People's Congress (NPC), or the top legislature, are: Kong Lingzhi, Zhu Taiqing, He Daxin, Wu Qiongkai, Zhang Xiong, Chen Yunying, Chen Jun, Chen Qinghai, Chen Weiwen, Chen Yaozhong, Hu Youqing, Liang Guoyang and Wei Lihui.

The NPC is scheduled to convene its annual plenary session in early March.

Most of the 13 deputies, including three females, were born on the mainland and are second generation Taiwanese. They are either Party or government officials, or scholars making remarkable contributions to science and technology, education and medicine, or representatives of the economic sector, from both eastern and central-western China.

The NPC Standing Committee would examine their qualifications in line with the law and affirm the election result.

Vice chairman and secretary-general of the NPC Standing Committee Sheng Huaren congratulated the newly elected deputies.

"NPC deputies have both honors and responsibilities. The newly elected will become members of the top state organ and will jointly execute the top state power," Sheng said.

He said previous Taiwan NPC deputies had made great contributions to the development of cross-Strait relations and the nation's peace and reunification cause.

Sheng called on Taiwan deputies to bring their advantage and influence to a full play and play a greater role in promoting the mainland-Taiwan relations.

The electoral conference, composed of 122 members chosen from 33 electoral units nationwide, started on Jan. 8. It nominated 16 candidates via discussions and consultations.