China’s ‘two sessions’ 2024: nation’s top political advisory body signals Greater Bay Area on the agenda as Hong Kong delegates head to Beijing
- Spokesman for Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference takes questions on bay area at press conference, considered signal of what will be on agenda for meetings
- Some Hong Kong delegates meet top Beijing official Xia Baolong day before political advisory body holds first meeting on Monday
“Over the past five years, the [bay area] has become one of the regions with the highest degree of openness and the strongest economic vitality in China,” Liu Jieyi, a spokesman for the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) told a press conference on Sunday.
The two sessions, or lianghui, refers to the annual meetings of the CPPCC and the National People’s Congress, the country’s legislature, which are set to begin on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
Liu, a former top diplomat and Taiwan affairs chief, said the CPPCC would make the bay area’s development a priority in its National Committee’s overall supervision approach for the country’s latest five-year plan.
The bay area refers to Beijing’s scheme to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland Chinese cities into an economic powerhouse.
Commentators generally consider the spokesperson’s pick of the questions from media outlets at the press conference ahead of the two sessions to be the first signal for the agendas up for discussion.