https://www.scmp.com/rss/508608/feed Two Sessions refers to China's annual parliamentary meetings, where the two main political bodies of China - the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) - reveal plans for China's policies involving the economy, military, trade, diplomacy, the environment and more. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com When a country is poor, everything is tough, but at least the goal is crystal clear: raise gross domestic product (GDP). But when a country becomes richer, it turns out that problems do not end – they only become harder to pin down, juggle and solve. This is the struggle facing the Communist Party leadership under Xi Jinping today, even as it proudly declares that it has eliminated absolute poverty. At the “two sessions”, China’s annual legislative meetings, Beijing set a GDP growth target of 6... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3128516/chinas-economic-headache-setting-targets-quality-development?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3128516/chinas-economic-headache-setting-targets-quality-development?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Apr 2021 01:15:18 +0000 The verdict is in and it does not make for pleasant reading – everyone is guilty. In the light of recent events, Beijing has spent several months studying Hong Kong’s political experiences during the past two decades from the perspectives of competence and loyalty to the country. The conclusion is devastating – the patriots are not competent and the competent are insufficiently patriotic. Is that assessment too harsh? A little unfair on a few, perhaps, but overall it is not an unreasonable... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126160/hong-kong-election-reform-missed-chances-shape-citys-future-must?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126160/hong-kong-election-reform-missed-chances-shape-citys-future-must?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Mar 2021 06:30:06 +0000 Institutional change is often characterised by path dependence. However, the passage of major changes to the electoral system by the National People’s Congress on March 11 seems to have taken Hong Kong’s constitutional development away from its past trajectory. The road map and timetable Beijing promulgated in December 2007 could have allowed Hongkongers to directly elect their chief executive in 2017, based on the nomination mechanism prescribed by the Basic Law. It flopped because of the 2014... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125437/electoral-reform-time-hong-kongs-democrats-reinvent-themselves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125437/electoral-reform-time-hong-kongs-democrats-reinvent-themselves?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Mar 2021 22:45:14 +0000 Beijing’s grand plan for the next five years and its vision for 2035 have two big assumptions. One is that China is experiencing an unstoppable rise against the West, and the other is that China’s 1.4 billion consumers will create a domestic market big enough to guarantee the country’s continued growth. To turn the second assumption into a reality, China needs to tilt its national income distribution in favour of the people. The 14th five-year plan and the 2035 Vision paint a rosy picture for... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3125490/chinas-economic-grand-plan-falls-short-how-enrich-people-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3125490/chinas-economic-grand-plan-falls-short-how-enrich-people-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Mar 2021 10:15:06 +0000 The 4th session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) of China held recently made a decision to improve Hong Kong’s electoral system. The purpose is to provide an institutional guarantee for the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong”, and ultimately for the long-term implementation of “one country, two systems”. To gain an accurate understanding, let me share with you the following perspectives. First and foremost, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a subnational... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125327/patriots-governing-hong-kong-one-country-two-systems-guaranteed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125327/patriots-governing-hong-kong-one-country-two-systems-guaranteed?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2021 17:00:16 +0000 Beijing is cleaning house, and it’s not just getting rid of those troublesome obstructionists; they may not be the only ones Beijing has found lacking in “patriotism”. Given the electoral overhaul the National People’s Congress has just rolled out – which had definitely been in the works for a while now – Beijing is determined to clear out more clutter.   In other words, the central leadership has lost all patience when it comes to both the troublemakers and the ineffective patriots who are... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125177/hong-kong-election-system-overhaul-reveals-beijings-displeasure-pro?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125177/hong-kong-election-system-overhaul-reveals-beijings-displeasure-pro?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2021 07:40:15 +0000 The 2021 government work report unveiled by Premier Li Keqiang is pragmatic yet encouraging, reflecting China’s growing confidence in managing its domestic market and in playing a role on the world stage. China is the first country to announce its gross domestic product growth target for this year. The target of above 6 per cent, although lower than projected by some global economists, would still give China the biggest expansion among the world’s major economies.China realises that to achieve... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125047/china-reveals-its-plan-great-future-two-sessions-and-it-includes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125047/china-reveals-its-plan-great-future-two-sessions-and-it-includes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Mar 2021 12:00:05 +0000 For more than 5,000 delegates converging in Beijing and attending annual meetings of China’s parliament and its advisory body, their main task is to endorse and lend legitimacy to the Chinese leadership’s major decisions and policies on political, economic and social developments. But the gatherings like the one which ended last week also provide them an annual platform to broadcast the issues they are passionate about to influence the government’s thinking, through giving media interviews or... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3125260/china-walks-fine-line-between-stoking-nationalism-and-seeking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3125260/china-walks-fine-line-between-stoking-nationalism-and-seeking?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Mar 2021 01:30:06 +0000 Former Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa has defended Beijing’s massive shake-up of the city’s electoral system, saying the overhaul is not aimed at shutting out all opposition voices as constructive criticism will continue to be welcomed to improve governing. During a Friday web seminar organised by his think tank, Our Hong Kong Foundation, Tung also argued that while the changes would eliminate anti-China forces from elections, the city would remain politically diverse. “We cannot make tiny... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125247/overhaul-hong-kong-elections-not-aimed-shutting-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3125247/overhaul-hong-kong-elections-not-aimed-shutting-out?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Mar 2021 11:03:46 +0000 In the government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang to the National People’s Congress earlier this month, the 2021 growth target was set at above 6 per cent year on year. This target seems conservative and significantly below the consensus forecasts around 8.7 per cent by local economists. It reflects the leadership’s commitment to achieve sustainable and healthy economic growth in the long run while shifting from quantity-driven growth to a quality-driven growth model in the coming... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125137/chinas-two-sessions-ambitious-practical-goals-five-year-plan-target?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125137/chinas-two-sessions-ambitious-practical-goals-five-year-plan-target?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Mar 2021 08:30:06 +0000 This is a business column and, as such, we must look ahead. Rational investors must make decisions based on the logical forecast of what is most likely to happen in the longer term – whether you like it or not. What we want, or indeed what we hope for, is irrelevant. The nuances of the national security law and the events of the past year may be debated – but businesspeople have to deal in the here and now. Hong Kong is rapidly becoming a “red city”, much more like mainland China, and the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3124866/hong-kong-needs-mainland-appointed-provincial-leader-boost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3124866/hong-kong-needs-mainland-appointed-provincial-leader-boost?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Mar 2021 00:45:09 +0000 The Chinese authorities have stressed their commitment to building a fairer and more caring society in a bid to safeguard the Communist Party’s legitimacy before it celebrates its 100th anniversary in July. Premier Li Keqiang spent the lion’s share of Thursday’s two-hour press conference that closed the annual meeting of the national legislature and political advisory committee – also known as the “two sessions” – discussing the leadership’s plans to improve people’s livelihoods. He promised to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3125086/chinas-leaders-keep-focus-job-creation-and-better-living?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3125086/chinas-leaders-keep-focus-job-creation-and-better-living?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Mar 2021 23:00:22 +0000 There is no pause button for the Belt and Road Initiative, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during his expansive news conference on Chinese diplomacy during the annual Two Sessions summit in Beijing. Yet, look around China’s neighbours in Central and South Asia and the story looks very different. Closed or only partially opened borders, alongside stories of Chinese frustration at local partners, suggest at the very least a slow-motion button has been hit in several areas. While the initiative as... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3124505/belt-and-road-initiative-chinas-rosy-picture-odds-realities-ground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3124505/belt-and-road-initiative-chinas-rosy-picture-odds-realities-ground?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Mar 2021 21:15:11 +0000 You reap what you sow. This must have been on Beijing’s mind when it forged ahead with a drastic overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system. The central government is now taking steps to ensure that only “patriots” can rule Hong Kong, blocking those it deems to be posing threats to national security from entering the city’s political arena. If that is the fate awaiting Hong Kong’s opposition politicians, such a sweeping reform also serves as a timely reminder of the many tougher challenges ahead... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3124434/hong-kong-reaps-what-it-sowed-beijing-overhauls-citys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3124434/hong-kong-reaps-what-it-sowed-beijing-overhauls-citys?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Mar 2021 08:56:47 +0000 The central government giveth and the central government taketh away. The arduous electoral reforms that took Hong Kong two decades to achieve are now being reversed between the “two sessions”. The new principles have been laid down, though the details await the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) to promulgate. Electoral reforms since 1997 had meant the opposition could aim to achieve a majority by occupying more than half of the 70 seats in the Legislative Council. This hope... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3124334/inevitable-end-hong-kongs-democratic-experiment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3124334/inevitable-end-hong-kongs-democratic-experiment?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Mar 2021 21:12:56 +0000 Beijing’s determination to restrict Hong Kong’s governance in the hands of those it deems “patriotic” was made plain by the sweeping electoral reforms unveiled by the state’s legislative body on Friday. The changes have far-reaching implications for the city’s governance and political landscape. While perceived threats to national security arising from “loopholes” that allow non-patriots to take up office are to be effectively met, it is important that checks and balances provided for under the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3124331/no-compromise-checks-and-balances?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3124331/no-compromise-checks-and-balances?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Mar 2021 20:44:34 +0000 Two things set Premier Li Keqiang’s annual work report to the National People’s Congress apart. It is the first since China finally brought Covid-19 under control, releasing a brake on economic growth. Secondly, it launched the next five-year plan and projected an image of further development in line with President Xi Jinping’s long-term vision to 2035. And it targeted economic growth this year of more than 6 per cent, which really sets a floor that Beijing needs to achieve, with no... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3124330/beijing-clear-its-development-vision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3124330/beijing-clear-its-development-vision?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Mar 2021 20:13:15 +0000 Keep hope alive. That was former US president Barack Obama’s campaign slogan. Keeping hope alive is not a hurdle in democracies. Those who loathe Donald Trump proved it by voting him out. Those who idolise him proved it by jam-packing a rally where Trump hinted at a comeback. It requires courage to keep hope alive in authoritarian regimes. Yet the people of Myanmar are doing that, some by losing their lives, after a military coup toppled the government.  I kept hope alive by believing Beijing... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3123883/hong-kong-patriots-vague-definition-will-leave-door-open-cultural?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3123883/hong-kong-patriots-vague-definition-will-leave-door-open-cultural?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Mar 2021 22:45:11 +0000 China’s National People’s Congress meetings starting this week will formally endorse the 14th five-year plan. Progress during this period is likely to determine whether China will realise its longer-term ambitions for 2035 of becoming a prosperous nation and major innovative power. Right now, China appears well on its way to achieving these goals because it has handled the pandemic much better than other major economies. Beijing’s draconian measures have facilitated a sharp industrial recovery... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3123741/two-sessions-2021-how-china-can-fine-tune-its-dual-circulation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3123741/two-sessions-2021-how-china-can-fine-tune-its-dual-circulation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Mar 2021 19:30:06 +0000 At a grand event last week in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, ahead of the annual National People’s Congress this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared a “complete victory” over absolute poverty. The state media reported that close to 100 million Chinese living in rural areas had been lifted out of absolute poverty since Xi came to power in late 2012. When market investors watch the NPC, their focus is usually on the economic targets set by Beijing. From these so-called hard... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3123681/chinas-two-sessions-how-beijing-moving-past-gdp-targets-and-towards?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3123681/chinas-two-sessions-how-beijing-moving-past-gdp-targets-and-towards?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Mar 2021 22:45:15 +0000 Even by the historical precedents set by previous annual “two sessions” gatherings of China’s ruling elite, the event beginning on Thursday will be politically very important. Looking back, it is framed by pivotal dates in the nation’s history – the Chinese Communist Party’s centenary, the 50th anniversary of the CCP-ruled People’s Republic joining the United Nations and the 20th anniversary of its entry to the World Trade Organization. Looking forward, it will be defined by a longer-term... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3123823/ruling-elite-gathers-pivotal-moment-chinas-development?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3123823/ruling-elite-gathers-pivotal-moment-chinas-development?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Mar 2021 17:43:27 +0000