https://www.scmp.com/rss/511943/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. Our Two Sessions 2023 coverage can be found here. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Chinese Executive Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang has been appointed as Beijing’s top official for Hong Kong and Macau affairs, but sources say Xia Baolong, the present head of the ministerial-level office, will stay on to ensure a smooth transition after its recent elevation to central party leadership level. The decision came just days after Beijing announced the restructuring of its top office overseeing Hong Kong affairs so it would answer to the Communist Party’s central leadership instead of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3214351/mainland-china-executive-vice-premier-made-beijings-top-official-hong-kong-and-macau-affairs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3214351/mainland-china-executive-vice-premier-made-beijings-top-official-hong-kong-and-macau-affairs?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Mar 2023 14:39:23 +0000 China’s finance minister has pledged his full support for Hong Kong’s “extensive broadening of international cooperation” and further integration into the national development plan, as he spoke highly of the city’s leader during a meeting in Beijing. Liu Kun, a key official recently retained by China’s legislature to oversee the country’s macroeconomic policies, on Tuesday said President Xi Jinping had “highly recognised” the work of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu during their last exchange in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3213465/chinas-finance-minister-backs-hong-kong-widening-international-cooperations-he-speaks-highly-john?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3213465/chinas-finance-minister-backs-hong-kong-widening-international-cooperations-he-speaks-highly-john?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Mar 2023 07:50:59 +0000 Hong Kong’s chief executive will lead a high-level delegation to Beijing on Sunday for a week-long trip to discuss how the city can better integrate its economic development with the rest of the country’s as it more closely aligns itself with the nation’s goals. The eight officials joining Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu include ministers overseeing finance, education, innovation and technology, health and culture affairs, Lee’s office on Friday said. “Lee will visit various central ministries... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3213042/hong-kongs-john-lee-travel-beijing-sunday-discuss-economic-integration-gearing-national-plans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3213042/hong-kongs-john-lee-travel-beijing-sunday-discuss-economic-integration-gearing-national-plans?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Mar 2023 04:16:23 +0000 When the state legislature and political consultative body last met in Beijing, Hong Kong was fighting an all-out battle against the most deadly wave of the Covid-19 outbreak. The message from the “two sessions” then was clear – control the epidemic at all costs. Now with the crisis over and prosperity gradually returning, the city has been given another mission. It must ensure better development and show it can make the most of its advantages under the principle of “one country, two... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3212991/opportunities-there-be-taken-hong-kong-china-enters-new-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3212991/opportunities-there-be-taken-hong-kong-china-enters-new-era?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Mar 2023 22:30:08 +0000 With their coffers already stretched thin, local-level governments across China now find themselves in the high-pressure position of having to help prop up economic growth and employment, with Beijing sending them a strong signal: you’re on your own. It’s a tall order at a time of considerable economic uncertainties stemming from China’s adherence to a strict zero-Covid policy that mandates lockdowns, mass testing and quarantines. These measures have had an outsized impact on consumer spending... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3179484/chinas-local-governments-denied-lifeline-face-catch-22?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3179484/chinas-local-governments-denied-lifeline-face-catch-22?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 May 2022 12:00:02 +0000 If the leaders in Zhongnanhai have agreed on a list of top priorities for China this year, armed reunification with Taiwan is unlikely to appear on that list. The war in Ukraine has raised speculation about an imminent Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province. However, Beijing is not likely to make a move on the island any time soon because it is not in China’s strategic interest to do so. Three reasons explain why. First, international opinion of China has become... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3173757/three-reasons-china-will-not-forcibly-reunify-taiwan-any-time-soon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3173757/three-reasons-china-will-not-forcibly-reunify-taiwan-any-time-soon?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Apr 2022 23:30:14 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. Upon the closing of China’s “two sessions” annual parliamentary meetings earlier this month, the nation’s core leadership will be preparing for the transition to the next batch of younger cadres... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3171686/25th-handover-bash-chance-beijing-engage-hong-kongs-youth-tomorrows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3171686/25th-handover-bash-chance-beijing-engage-hong-kongs-youth-tomorrows?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Mar 2022 06:30:25 +0000 In the early 1990s, the arrival of McDonald’s in Moscow and Beijing marked the reopening of these markets to the world and the dawn of a golden age of globalisation. Over the next decade, multinationals spread across the globe as technology advanced, trade barriers were cut and finance liberalised, making it easier than ever for goods, capital, people and ideas to move across borders. Transnational firms helped knit the world together with supply chains, bringing investment, jobs, a shared... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3171130/why-china-still-solid-growth-engine-and-safe-harbour-multinationals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3171130/why-china-still-solid-growth-engine-and-safe-harbour-multinationals?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Mar 2022 19:30:22 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3171210/chinas-two-sessions-and-how-time-it-was-different?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3171210/chinas-two-sessions-and-how-time-it-was-different?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Mar 2022 12:00:00 +0000 After last week’s annual parliamentary meetings, which were overshadowed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s stock market this week experienced a level of tumult rarely seen since the stock market meltdown in the summer of 2015. Disrupted by its worst Covid outbreak in two years, and challenged by growing pressure from the West to condemn Russian aggression, China is grappling to tame economic headwinds, and its efforts have been further complicated by the US Federal Reserve’s rate-hike... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3171027/6-takeaways-chinas-two-sessions-and-economic-turmoil-followed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3171027/6-takeaways-chinas-two-sessions-and-economic-turmoil-followed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Mar 2022 10:00:17 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3170940/video-scmp-explains-two-sessions-chinas-most-important-political?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3170940/video-scmp-explains-two-sessions-chinas-most-important-political?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Mar 2022 04:39:01 +0000 China’s cyberspace watchdog has unveiled new draft rules that will make it harder for Big Tech firms like Tencent Holdings and ByteDance to profit from video gaming, live streaming and social media services targeted at the country’s 180 million internet users under the age of 18. The new draft regulation, published by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on Monday, marks the latest effort by Beijing to shield minors from internet services. China has already banned profit-making in... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3170401/china-tech-crackdown-beijing-tighten-regulation-internet-platforms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3170401/china-tech-crackdown-beijing-tighten-regulation-internet-platforms?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Mar 2022 13:00:24 +0000 Thousands of members of China’s political elite converge in Beijing each year for the “two sessions”, the country’s biggest annual political meetings. In the third in a series of stories on this year’s major talking points, Mimi Lau looks at legal amendments proposed in response to the huge public outcry over a human trafficking scandal in Xuzhou. “If we fail to speak up today, anyone of us could be like that Xuzhou mother of eight.” Variations on this social media comment have been sent across... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3170293/chinas-chained-woman-spurs-grand-government-gestures-where-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3170293/chinas-chained-woman-spurs-grand-government-gestures-where-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2022 10:00:20 +0000 In the annual legislative session held over the past week in Beijing, none of the reports were delivered by President Xi Jinping himself, and the top leader did not chair any press conferences. But no one has any doubt whose show it was. Xi’s name was mentioned 12 times in the annual government report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang on March 5. Senior and mid-level officials lavished praise about Xi’s personal leadership in almost every group discussion of the National People’s Congress. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3170199/more-things-change-more-chinas-xi-jinping-focuses-stability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3170199/more-things-change-more-chinas-xi-jinping-focuses-stability?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2022 08:00:18 +0000 Like the rest of the world, China is watching closely as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unfolds, while also bracing for the impact of escalating Western sanctions against Russia. As the largest trading partner of both Russia and Ukraine, China has a lot at stake, especially as the warring nations are both participants in the Belt and Road Initiative – China’s ambitious plan to grow global trade with billions of dollars worth of investment and infrastructure projects. Physical dangers;... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3170142/how-will-chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-fare-when-partners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3170142/how-will-chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-fare-when-partners?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Mar 2022 10:30:16 +0000 Premier Li Keqiang announced on Friday that the Chinese government would introduce a digital version of the national identification card this year, enabling better government services for an increasingly cyber-savvy population. Speaking at the annual briefing at the end of the National People’s Congress, Li said one aim was to better meet the “basic living needs concerning daily lives” of more than 100 million citizens who lived away from their home province. He said: “Some are elderly people... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3170214/china-plans-digital-version-national-identification-card-later?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3170214/china-plans-digital-version-national-identification-card-later?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Mar 2022 01:00:15 +0000 In his last televised press conference as premier, Li Keqiang presented himself as a social engineer carefully crafting policies to improve people’s livelihoods in the midst of crises such as Covid-19. The 66 year-old also portrayed himself as an empathetic government leader who cared about the plight of trafficked women and the underprivileged such as delivery drivers and migrant workers. There was no dramatic farewell message. Unlike his predecessors Wen Jiabao, who called for “political... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3170198/chinese-premier-li-keqiang-highlights-his-caring-side-he-bows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3170198/chinese-premier-li-keqiang-highlights-his-caring-side-he-bows?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Mar 2022 15:30:11 +0000 The premier’s closing press conference is a highlight of the annual “two sessions” of China’s national political advisory and legislative bodies. The one on Friday was Li Keqiang’s last. What also set it apart was that he bowed out with an economic growth target for this year of 5.5 per cent – the lowest for 31 years, but far from the easiest to achieve. Amid a fragile global economy, the Ukraine crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, now rampant in Hong Kong, many economists have greeted it with... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3170202/challenging-year-lies-ahead-li-keqiang-signs-seeking-55pc-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3170202/challenging-year-lies-ahead-li-keqiang-signs-seeking-55pc-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Mar 2022 15:06:16 +0000 The election of Hong Kong’s government will need to be done “strictly in accordance” with the relevant rules of the Basic Law, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday, giving a clear hint of the central government’s wish for the chief executive race not to be postponed further. He also set out Beijing’s expectations of the government, emphasising three priorities state leaders had spelled out in various ways in recent months. He called on the administration to unite and lead people from all... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3170191/premier-li-keqiang-sets-out-beijings-stance-postponement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3170191/premier-li-keqiang-sets-out-beijings-stance-postponement?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Mar 2022 13:09:28 +0000 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has defended China’s zero-Covid response while pledging a more “scientific and targeted” approach to ensure a stable global supply chain. Asked at what is expected to be his last press conference as premier about whether China had a road map to reopen to the world, Li said China would base its Covid-19 control and prevention on science to protect people’s lives and health, as well as ensure the security of the supply chain. “I have spoken on many occasions with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3170167/zero-covid-chinas-premier-pledges-future-coronavirus-approach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3170167/zero-covid-chinas-premier-pledges-future-coronavirus-approach?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Mar 2022 10:32:51 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday raised concern over Hong Kong’s Covid-19 situation at the country’s annual parliamentary sessions, according to a top official who also warned of a “protracted war” for the city and urged it to conduct anti-epidemic work “as precise as acupuncture”. Xia Baolong, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, revealed Xi’s views as he chaired online the eighth meeting of a top-level, tripartite coordination group, according to Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170070/coronavirus-hong-kong-carrie-lam-admits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170070/coronavirus-hong-kong-carrie-lam-admits?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Mar 2022 03:35:26 +0000 This year’s “two sessions” were shortened to six-and-a-half days because of Covid-19, and any comments from Li about Hong Kong’s current outbreak, and the growing controversy over the “dynamic zero” strategy and the city’s mass testing plans, will be closely scrutinised. Ukraine also looms large over proceedings with the wider world wanting to know more about China’s position. While the government work report did not mention the war, the foreign minister faced repeated questions about the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169991/two-sessions-2022-chinese-premier-li-keqiang-closes-event?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169991/two-sessions-2022-chinese-premier-li-keqiang-closes-event?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Mar 2022 02:05:18 +0000 China’s plan to build a national computing network to improve capacity is now under the spotlight at the country’s annual political gala, with the project generating speculation of an investment boom. The plan to channel computing resources from the country’s eastern regions to more impoverished western regions, was rolled out by China’s top state planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) last month, aimed at increasing the country’s computing capacity. There will be eight... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3169999/two-sessions-2022-chinas-blueprint-national-computing-network-takes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3169999/two-sessions-2022-chinas-blueprint-national-computing-network-takes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Mar 2022 01:00:21 +0000 Proposals for matchmaking committees within local trade unions and a drive to encourage more graduate students to have children triggered a frosty reception on social media in China, as officials brainstormed ways to raise the country’s plunging birth rate. In all, delegates to China’s annual meeting of parliament submitted more than 20 suggestions for boosting population growth in a country that did not scrap a decades-long policy restricting couples to a single child until 2016. A Communist... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169863/are-women-just-machines-chinese-web-users-turned-proposals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169863/are-women-just-machines-chinese-web-users-turned-proposals?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Mar 2022 13:18:27 +0000 China will have 2 million installed 5G base stations this year to step up expansion of the country’s next-generation mobile network, while preparing for the development of the more advanced 6G wireless system, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The Chinese mainland currently has 1.425 million installed 5G base stations that support more than 500 million 5G users nationwide, which makes it “the biggest network [of its kind] in the world”, MIIT minister Xiao... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3169832/china-targets-2-million-installed-5g-base-stations-year-expanding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3169832/china-targets-2-million-installed-5g-base-stations-year-expanding?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Mar 2022 12:15:20 +0000 A senior Chinese political adviser has proposed creating a law that could punish anyone for violating their responsibility to promote reunification. The proposal came during Beijing’s annual parliamentary sessions as tensions in the Taiwan Strait remained elevated and amid speculation that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could embolden Beijing to attack Taiwan. Zhang Lianqi, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, said that while the existing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169840/two-sessions-2022-amid-tension-taiwan-strait-senior-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169840/two-sessions-2022-amid-tension-taiwan-strait-senior-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Mar 2022 11:03:33 +0000 Mainland China’s firm support and insistence on accountability for Hong Kong in its Covid-19 battle has shown that the city’s “high degree of autonomy” will not be undermined by the central government’s jurisdiction, a top Beijing official has said. Xia Baolong, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, stressed that local authorities must shoulder the main responsibility for battling the epidemic, but added Beijing did not blame Hong Kong for the crisis. Instead, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3169794/two-sessions-top-beijing-official-says-hong-kongs-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3169794/two-sessions-top-beijing-official-says-hong-kongs-high?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Mar 2022 05:28:40 +0000 Two heavyweights in China’s electric vehicle (EV) industry have lobbied Beijing for different approaches to charging, a key issue in the development of the new energy vehicle market in the country. Lei Jun, chief executive officer of smartphone giant Xiaomi which has recently entered the market and Geely CEO Li Shufu, an automobile industry veteran, have tabled different proposals at China’s annual political gathering asking for the government to change the charging approach for EVs. Xiaomi made... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3169724/two-sessions-2022-electric-vehicle-bosses-propose-two-different?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3169724/two-sessions-2022-electric-vehicle-bosses-propose-two-different?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Mar 2022 23:00:22 +0000 The ongoing war in Ukraine will not halt China’s push to surpass the United States to become the world’s largest economy by 2030, according to a senior Beijing adviser, despite a recent sell off of Chinese bonds by overseas investors. Russia’s invasion comes at a time of downward economic pressure and rising tensions with Western powers for China, as well as global uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine and the ongoing disruptions caused by the coronavirus. The Russia-Ukraine war will have an... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3169687/ukraine-invasion-wont-dent-chinas-push-surpass-us-become-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3169687/ukraine-invasion-wont-dent-chinas-push-surpass-us-become-top?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Mar 2022 22:00:29 +0000 A lead scientist in China’s lunar programme has unveiled details of plans for the county’s first base on the moon, saying probes will start surveying the south pole for potentially vital resources, such as water. China has teamed up with Russia to compete with the United States and its allies in setting up a permanent outpost on the Moon. China’s lunar probe finds first on-site evidence of water on moon Unlike the Cold War space race, the goal this time is to stay. To do so requires a wide range... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3169728/china-hopes-start-exploratory-work-base-moon-2024-says-leading?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3169728/china-hopes-start-exploratory-work-base-moon-2024-says-leading?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Mar 2022 13:49:17 +0000 China’s chief justice has called for the death penalty for serious offences involving “cruel treatment” of women, children and the elderly, in an apparent response to public fury over recently exposed human trafficking cases. Delivering the annual work report of the Supreme People’s Court on Tuesday, Zhou Qiang said the death penalty would be “consistently implemented against offences that seriously violate public safety and security”. “Crimes that challenge the legal and moral bottom line –... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169686/chinas-chief-justice-calls-death-penalty-cruel-treatment-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169686/chinas-chief-justice-calls-death-penalty-cruel-treatment-women?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Mar 2022 10:30:24 +0000 Hong Kong can offer a hub for offshore Chinese bonds, helping to establish a market place for transacting the debt issued by the nation’s corporate borrowers, the city’s former stock exchange chief said in his submission to China’s legislature. An over-the-counter (OTC) market can ensure the transparency and timeliness of disclosures by issuers, where the requirements of Hong Kong and mainland China regulators can be consolidated to bring order to the “pervasive” chaos of the current system,... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3169704/two-sessions-2022-hong-kong-can-offer-hub-trading-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3169704/two-sessions-2022-hong-kong-can-offer-hub-trading-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Mar 2022 10:06:12 +0000 China should ease its restrictions on overseas academic exchanges to help improve the country’s image abroad, a leading academic has told the country’s annual political set piece. Jia Qingguo, a professor at Peking University and delegate to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, submitted a proposal to the advisory body calling for new incentives to encourage Chinese academics and retired diplomats to engage with foreign media and think tanks to better explain China’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3169681/chinas-two-sessions-allowing-more-academics-attend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3169681/chinas-two-sessions-allowing-more-academics-attend?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Mar 2022 08:25:05 +0000 Beijing will “improve” the system by which it rules Hong Kong, while safeguarding national security and devising “legal weapons” for countering foreign forces, the head of China’s legislature has said. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC), vowed that the parliamentary body’s standing committee would “remain firm on key issues and political principles” as it planned for the use of “legal means in international struggle”. The pledges were part of Li’s yearly report on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3169648/beijing-improve-system-ruling-hong-kong-devise-legal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3169648/beijing-improve-system-ruling-hong-kong-devise-legal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Mar 2022 04:22:39 +0000 The chief of China’s top advisory body has moved to allay fears and quell suggestions that authorities are not doing enough to support the nation’s private companies, in Beijing’s latest attempt to reassure the jittery sector that is struggling amid pandemic lockdowns and regulatory crackdowns. The country will stick to its reform and opening-up policies, while the promise of “unswervingly” encouraging, supporting and guiding the development of the non-public sector will not change, and neither... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3169576/two-sessions-2022-small-business-concerns-persist-chinas-no-4?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3169576/two-sessions-2022-small-business-concerns-persist-chinas-no-4?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Mar 2022 22:15:17 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that China should strengthen the use and making of military laws when engaging with other countries. “China should make more comprehensive the body of military laws and regulations that involve foreign countries, so as to better protect national interests through the use of law,” Xi said, as quoted by the state news agency Xinhua. As part of efforts to elevate the role of laws in governing the country, Beijing has for years called for the prioritising... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3169615/xi-jinping-seeks-strengthen-laws-regulate-military-engagements?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3169615/xi-jinping-seeks-strengthen-laws-regulate-military-engagements?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Mar 2022 22:00:19 +0000 China has accused Washington of failing to live up to its promise to not pursue confrontation with Beijing or provoke divisions in other parts of the world. Launching the broadside at his annual press conference on the sidelines of China’s legislative session on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said no places should be regarded as US backyards and the world was not a geopolitical chessboard. He said the United States had not lived up to commitments from US officials that Washington was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3169596/south-china-sea-middle-east-us-fails-live-promises-china-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3169596/south-china-sea-middle-east-us-fails-live-promises-china-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Mar 2022 15:00:23 +0000 Multiple delegates at this year’s “two sessions”, China’s largest annual political gathering, have suggested the government tighten its control over video games to keep minors away from such content, signalling that there is little political appetite for pushing to ease restrictions on the industry. The National People’s Congress (NPC) and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the two bodies currently meeting in Beijing, are not directly involved in policymaking for the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3169583/two-sessions-2022-chinas-video-game-crackdown-shows-no-signs-easing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3169583/two-sessions-2022-chinas-video-game-crackdown-shows-no-signs-easing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Mar 2022 14:00:22 +0000 A mainland Chinese state leader has urged Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing camp to support the local government in tackling deep-seated problems and boosting the economy, as well as in further integrating the city with the nation’s development plans. Analysts and lawmakers said that while these were requirements for pro-establishment politicians, Vice-Premier Han Zheng, the state leader overseeing Hong Kong affairs, had also effectively updated Beijing’s expectations of the city’s leader. Hong Kong is... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3169588/chinese-state-leader-tells-hong-kong-politicians-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3169588/chinese-state-leader-tells-hong-kong-politicians-support?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Mar 2022 12:24:15 +0000 The metaverse has emerged as an unlikely topic at China’s “two sessions”, the country’s largest annual gathering of lawmakers and top political consultants, after state media spent months warning of risks associated with hype around the concept. A number of delegates have published their metaverse proposals for the gatherings of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), sharing their views on how China should embrace and regulate the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3169564/two-sessions-2022-metaverse-development-should-be-spearheaded-central?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3169564/two-sessions-2022-metaverse-development-should-be-spearheaded-central?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Mar 2022 12:00:23 +0000 China has rolled out a raft of proposals on how to incentivise women to have children, including encouraging postgraduate students to get married, subsidising kindergarten and greater use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education to reduce costs and save time for families. The ideas, discussed at the annual “two sessions” parliamentary gathering that started on Friday, come against a backdrop of growing concern about the nation’s demographic challenges. China’s population is ageing rapidly... https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3169579/two-sessions-2022-ai-tax-cuts-beijing-grasps-solutions-its-population?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3169579/two-sessions-2022-ai-tax-cuts-beijing-grasps-solutions-its-population?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Mar 2022 11:30:20 +0000 The Hong Kong government is drawing up plans to require private hospitals to provide beds and designated clinics for coronavirus patients in an arrangement similar to asking hotels to offer quarantine facilities, as a state leader again questioned the private sector’s reported reluctance to do more. The city’s senior officials have been meeting heads of private hospitals, the Post has learned, to press for more support to ease the burden on a public health care system pushed to the brink trying... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3169523/chinese-state-leader-calls-hong-kong-take-strong-decisive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3169523/chinese-state-leader-calls-hong-kong-take-strong-decisive?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Mar 2022 06:07:53 +0000 Delegates from China’s property developers, the nation’s largest debtors, are likely to be feeling the pressure when they show up at the Great Hall of the People for the annual legislative meeting in Beijing in the coming days. Six of the 13 real estate company chairmen attending the “two sessions” will be representing developers that have either officially defaulted on their debts or have asked creditors to give them more time to pull together the money they owe. These delegates, among them... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3169445/two-sessions-2022-embattled-chinese-property-moguls-likely?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3169445/two-sessions-2022-embattled-chinese-property-moguls-likely?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Mar 2022 00:30:17 +0000 A mainland Chinese state leader has pledged that Beijing will firmly support Hong Kong’s fight against its spiralling coronavirus epidemic by ensuring a steady supply of necessities, while calling on private hospitals to do more and for authorities to prioritise care for the elderly. Vice-Premier Han Zheng, the state leader who oversees the city’s affairs, made the remarks during a meeting on Sunday with Hong Kong politicians attending the annual session of the country’s top advisory body, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3169429/whatever-hong-kong-needs-beijing-provides-chinese-vice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3169429/whatever-hong-kong-needs-beijing-provides-chinese-vice?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Mar 2022 05:42:06 +0000 China has underscored self-reliance in its economic priorities this year amid warnings of trade headwinds and geopolitical complexities. At the opening of the annual National People’s Congress on Saturday, Premier Li Keqiang announced new incentives in the nation’s push for innovation and “faster breakthroughs” in core technologies, and highlighted the need for secure industrial and supply chains. Li said the government would raise the tax rebate for small and medium-sized science and technology... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3169405/self-reliance-chinas-top-economic-priority-turbulent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3169405/self-reliance-chinas-top-economic-priority-turbulent?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Mar 2022 03:00:20 +0000 Gone is any mention of economic cooperation with the United States and the European Union. Gone, too, is any reference to a trade with Japan and South Korea Instead, this year’s government targets for diplomacy are largely limited to the Asia-Pacific trade agreement known as RCEP and China’s intercontinental Belt and Road Initiative. But there was some good news for China’s diplomats, with moderate growth earmarked for diplomacy spending. Delivering his annual work report to national... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3169401/chinas-diplomacy-budget-grows-while-trade-deal-outlook-narrows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3169401/chinas-diplomacy-budget-grows-while-trade-deal-outlook-narrows?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Mar 2022 22:00:31 +0000 China unveiled a cautious and inward-looking government report for this year, putting the focus on the country’s bottom line as it confronts mounting external risks. Addressing national legislators on Saturday, Premier Li Keqiang made no mention of the United States, Europe or Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Instead the emphasis was squarely on maintaining stability and risk control. “We are very clear about the problems and challenges before us,” Li said to nearly 3,000 deputies as he delivered the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169398/looking-inward-chinese-premier-li-keqiang-focuses-national?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169398/looking-inward-chinese-premier-li-keqiang-focuses-national?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Mar 2022 15:30:29 +0000 China struck a cautiously confident tone for its economic growth to lead the post-pandemic global economic recovery, while appearing to acknowledge the challenges posed by growing disruption from geopolitical conflicts. China set its gross domestic product (GDP) growth target for 2022 at “around 5.5 per cent”, or the upper end of the market forecast, according to the government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang to an annual legislative meeting on Saturday. However, it also sounded the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3169406/china-strikes-cautious-note-economy-55-cent-gdp-target-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3169406/china-strikes-cautious-note-economy-55-cent-gdp-target-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Mar 2022 14:11:05 +0000 China’s strict Covid-19 control measures are unlikely to be eased in the near future, but will be fine-tuned to minimise disruptions to economic growth, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang implied. Delivering the annual government report to deputies of the National People’s Congress on Saturday, Li said China would continue with “routine” epidemic control measures, including preventing both outbreaks introduced from overseas and any resurgence in local cases. This indicates strict epidemic control... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169390/china-stick-zero-covid-policy-rules-may-be-refined-premier-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169390/china-stick-zero-covid-policy-rules-may-be-refined-premier-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Mar 2022 13:00:24 +0000 China’s premier has pledged to target the trafficking of women and children, becoming the first national leader to address the problem since the plight of a woman chained up in a shed came to light more than a month ago. Addressing legislators in Beijing on Saturday, Li Keqiang said a crackdown was on the way along with greater support for community groups and public welfare. “[We will] severely crack down on the crime of abduction and trafficking of women and children, and resolutely protect... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169392/two-sessions-china-targets-human-trafficking-wake-chained-woman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169392/two-sessions-china-targets-human-trafficking-wake-chained-woman?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Mar 2022 11:32:23 +0000