‘Two sessions’ 2021 bite-sized recap: Monday features Hong Kong, International Women’s Day, and abandoned pets

Monday’s highlights as thousands of National People’s Congress (NPC) deputies and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) members converge on Beijing’s Great Hall of the People for China’s largest annual political event.

Election shake-up  NPC deputies began discussing a resolution on Hong Kong electoral reform, while the city’s leader, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, ruled out conducting a formal consultation exercise on changes. Here’s what we know (and don’t know) so far about the proposed overhaul.

Red lines Along with Hong Kong, Taiwan is an issue where there is no room for compromise with the US, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at his annual media conference on Sunday.

Pet peeve CPPCC member Dai Junfeng, also head of the Islamic Association in Kunming, Yunnan province, proposed that people who abandon cats and dogs should be penalised via China’s social credit system. The idea attracted widespread support from animal lovers on microblog site Weibo.

Women in the spotlight This year’s meetings coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8. Topics concerning women under discussion in Beijing include domestic violence, illegal surrogacy and paternity leave.

Stat of the day: 5.4 per cent Percentage of the national budget allocated to military spending in 2021, up from 5.1 per cent last year. US analysts say Washington must keep pace with these investments.