Yao to attend CPPCC session

Retired Chinese basketball great Yao Ming has confirmed he will put forward a proposal at the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference next month.

The CPPCC sessions will be held in Beijing from March 3. It will be Yao's first time attending the conference as member of the CPPCC National Committee.

"I'm still working on the proposal ... I feel great responsibilities upon me," the former Houston Rocket told Xinhua news agency on Tuesday.

Yao joined the NBA in 2002 and was voted to start in the All-Star Game in his rookie season. He made eight All-Star appearances and was also a part of the Chinese national team.

He retired in 2011 after a series of injuries and has since taken up various entrepreneurial roles. Yao purchased CBA team Shanghai Sharks in 2009, and enrolled at the Antai College of Economics and Management of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2011. He also created a foundation in 2008, and has participated in many charity events.

There will be 21 sports representatives at the CPPCC National Committee. Star hurdler Liu Xiang, who has had to twice withdraw from the Olympics because of injuries, is yet to confirm his attendance. The 29-year-old, who is in his sixth year as a member of the CPPCC, missed the sessions for the past two years, but participated in the other three.