BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s annual parliamentary session, which begins on Sunday, is dominated by the need to appoint a new leader and prop up a struggling economy.
About 3,000 delegates attending the session of the largely powerless National People’s Congress hear a report on the government’s work outlining the priorities of the ruling Communist Party.
Don’t expect open discussion or criticism. All documents, decisions and appointments are expected to be unanimously upheld.
Below are some of the issues related to the approximately 10 day event. What’s special about this year?
This year’s rally comes at the start of China’s final five-year political cycle, as a follow-up to the ruling Communist Party’s 20th Annual Congress in October.
At the event, a new Politburo Standing Committee, the pinnacle of China’s political power, was appointed and headed by President Xi Jinping.
The Congress will rename Xi Jinping head of state, succeed Li Keqiang as prime minister, and appoint the State Council and other senior members of the cabinet.
China’s economy has been hit hard by pandemic-related lockdowns, quarantines and other draconian measures imposed as part of a ‘zero-coronavirus’ strategy, leaving a hugely indebted real estate sector and local governments financially exhausted. Exacerbating the problem of instability. At the same time, China’s heavy-handed and often adventurous foreign policy has stalked the United States and its allies on issues ranging from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to threats to Taiwan to a nationwide ban on China’s short-video app TikTok by foreign governments. conflicting. for security reasons.
By shifting responsibility from government agencies to those who report directly to the party’s Central Committee, Congress is expected to take a step towards strengthening centralization, which has always been an important priority for communist countries. increase.
This may be most evident in the security field, where the responsibilities of the Ministry of Public Security, which is responsible for police, and the Ministry of State Security, which is responsible for domestic and foreign intelligence, may be taken over by party committees.
A similar move has been proposed for Hong Kong’s semi-autonomous region, where the Communist Party has steadily increased its grip since months of anti-government protests in 2019 and the subsequent crackdown on civil liberties and political opposition. Measures to stimulate a decline in fertility are also likely to be discussed after the much-criticized and highly punishable one-child policy was abandoned in 2016. Following the January announcement, the crater’s birth rate and population aging fell for the first time in 61 years.
Local governments offer childcare subsidies, cash payments of 5,000 yuan ($700) or more, and free housing for couples who decide to start a family, especially if they have two or more children with her.
In Sichuan, authorities this year started legally recognizing children born to unmarried mothers. Other locations are: Until now, women were not barred from having children alone, but there were bureaucratic hurdles that made it almost impossible to register for schools and other social services. Surrogacy remains illegal. but IVF services are expanding.
