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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.
This year’s event will be the first after China dropped its three-year-old Covid-19 restrictions. It will see a major reshuffle of top government jobs including the premier. President Xi Jinping, who just secured a ground-breaking third term as party’s leader, is set to secure a third presidential term at the two sessions too.
Focus on financial headwinds, data security and technology gap key to building modern socialist country and foiling US containment.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has made it clear that it is Washington and not Beijing disrupting the world order, while being conciliatory towards Europe in his first major meeting with international media in his new role.
The National Natural Science Foundation of China, under the Ministry of Science and Technology, plans to fund as many as 30 research projects to be conducted over a period of three to four years.
The 68-year-old Politburo member will take charge of China’s financial stability and security.
Liu Guozhong begins work on agricultural affairs while Shen Yiqin takes on employment and civil affairs roles.
Ding Xuexiang to lead office, which will answer to central leadership, but present head of ministerial-level office to stay on and help transition.
In this edition of the Global Impact newsletter, we wrap up the events from the ‘two sessions’ and look ahead to what’s next after a busy few days of comings and goings in Beijing.
The move will provide a clearer chain of command with other benefits such as greater efficiencies, but some ask whether high degree of autonomy will be affected.
New commission will centralise leadership, determining national strategy and goals.
Beijing’s latest restructuring plan bolsters ‘party-state’ and continues trend of consolidating party oversight over crucial domains, observers say
The move ‘turbocharges’ efforts to extend party’s influence in private firms, industry associations and civil society, analyst says.
The reform will give the party’s Central Committee more power over technology and finance, as well as Hong Kong and Macau affairs.
Xia Baolong, director of the current Hong Kong and Macau Office, will stay on as head of the new body to oversee the transition, sources say.
New executive vice-premier in Beijing, Ding Xuexiang, poised to take over oversight role for Hong Kong and Macau.
The criteria include being 68 or younger and having more than five years of experience in ministerial or provincial leadership roles, according to state media in rare disclosure about nomination and promotion rules.
NPC deputy Li Dongsheng – founder of electronics giant TCL – is pushing multinationals to embrace globalisation rather than following the current trend toward less interconnectivity.
Washington shows no sign of lifting long-standing sanctions on China’s new defence minister, observers say.
Li pledges support for entrepreneurs and says the country will open further to foreign players.
President Xi Jinping’s pledge to seek ‘peaceful development’ of cross-strait relations seen as part of consistent messaging on Taiwan.
Li addresses few international issues in his debut press conference after the close of the national legislature’s annual session.
The former governor of Zhejiang expects bureaucrats to get out of the office and find solutions in the grass roots.
In the traditional press conference at the end of the parliamentary meetings, the Chinese premier makes few comments on diplomacy.
