The NPC, sometimes called Chinas parliament, has around 3, 000 delegates, many of whom are government officials and representatives from around the country, or serve as military leaders. Most of the delegates are members of the Communist Party of China and are responsible for new legislation and appointments of officials.
However, much of the NPC seems symbolic. In fact, many Western media outlets call it a rubber stamp parliament, a word Chinese nation media occasionally complain is insulting to the system of government. But its difficult to avoid the characterization since the NPC almost never repudiates the laws and regulations put before it. Instead, many of the real decisions are made behind closed doors at various Communist Party sessions, the most important of which is the National Party Congress held every five years.
The CPPCC, on the other hand, which has around 2, 000 delegates, is somewhat different: many of its members are not Communist Party members, its role is strictly advisory and it has no legislative power. As a outcome, many CPPCC members are business people and celebrities, including the basketball player Yao Ming, the actor Jackie Chan and the tycoon Wang Jianlin. Other members of the CPPCC include officials from Chinas eight other political parties outside of the Communist Party, parties which have no real legal power and cannot contest elections but offer the ruling party a means of calling the country a multiparty government.
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The event is stage-managed and heavily regulated.
What actually happens at the Two Sessions ?
Even though it is rare for anything surprising to happen at the annual Two Conferences, they continue to an important part of Chinas political life. So what actually happens?
Firstly, there is a certain sum of debate amongst the delegates which does inform and affect the route Chinese laws and the choices for leadership postures are made.
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A journalist reports during the opening ceremony of the NPC on March 5, 2017 in Beijing.
Secondly, much of the discussion is heavily publicized in state media( assure for example these special pages created in Chinese on the websites of government news agency Xinhua and the Communist Party home newspaper Peoples Daily ), which allows the government to gauge public reaction to proposed new laws and government initiatives. The speeches and media coverage also permit the government to formally communicate its plans, both to party members who do not attend the meetings in Beijing and to the public at large. Legislative rites permit the government to present an image of an orderly and somewhat democratic process.
And finally, although the event is stage-managed and heavily governed, it does offer Chinese and foreign journalists a degree of access to officials at press conference but also at informal meetings a level of access that is rare in China, particularly with government functions. Still, most foreign correspondent in Beijing find the Two Conferences to be a snoozefest, consists of set pieces, stultifying speeches and pressers where only pre-approved journalists are allowed to ask merely pre-approved questions.
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Bo was Communist Party chief of Chongqing, and he soon fell from grace.
Corruption and murder
Sometimes, though very occasionally, other thing do happen at the Two Conferences. In 2012, an official at the NPC told delegates from the city of Chongqing a sprawling municipality in southwestern China that the climate in Chongqing is very different from the climate in Beijing.
Observers rapidly realized that this remark heralded one of the biggest political scandals in China in decades, referring to the nation of politics in the city, rather than the actual temperature of the region. The statement about the climate actually signified the takedown of Bo Xilai, who at the time was a charismatic competitor for the presidency. Bo was Communist Party chief of Chongqing, and he soon fell from grace, accused of bribery and tainted by his wifes conviction for the murder of an English business associate.
But while Bos scandal and the statements that surrounded it served as interesting fodder for journalists and the general public, slip ups like this are rare at the NPC.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping is insured on a giant screen during the opening conference of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference( CPPCC) on March 3, 2017 in Beijing.
Will Xi stay or will Xi go ?
Instead of corrupt practices and assassination scandals, this year the most important signal many China watchers are tracking at the Two Sessions is any sign that President Xi Jinping intends to stay in power whether as president or as general secretary of the Communist Party. If he wishes to extend his reign of power, the move would put him beyond the customary two words limit that has been in place since the demise in 1976 of Mao Zedong, the founder of modern China.
A key indicator of his intention to stay prominent in the party in some capability will likely be a move from Xi to permit his trusted right-hand man Wang Qishan, who currently manages the anti-corruption campaign, to stay on as a senior member of the Communist Partys Politburo, a group that serves as the overhead authority within the Communist Party.
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China's Politburo Standing Committee member Wang Qishan at the CCPPCC opening session in Beijing.
Wang himself is 68, the age at which party leaders are conventionally asked retire and as such, allowing him to maintain power would go against traditional conventions of the party. If this year the NPC signals that Wang might retain his role despite his age, many observers will interpret that as a sign that Xi himself will turn against other conventions of the past three decades and retain his grip on power beyond his second word as chairperson and general secretary of the Communist Party that should objective in 2022.
Much of the governmental forces communication coming from the Two Sessions already seems to be laying the groundwork for this, as countless nation media articles and speeches by senior officials refer to the importance of considering Xi as the core of the partys leadership.
China Daily China Daily Information Corp – CDIC/ Reuters
China lately objective its one-child policy.
Rights for fetuses and a Trump-Xi meeting
As the Two Sessions nears its objective, here are some notable developments.
The NPC is expected to confirm a new civil code for China that will codify certain rights and responsibilities for citizens. Although the new law is, as reported by Reuters, light on individual rights reforms, it may for the first time in China, grant certain rights to unborn babies.
The draft provisions of the new law, according to Xinhua, describe the fetus as being entitled to some civil right to its implementation of inheritance or gifts. Chinas civil law does not currently acknowledge any rights before birth, the state media outlet quotes a civil law jurist as saying, but, it continues, there is a growing consensus among legal experts that the law should afford some some recognition and protection to an unborn child. There are, however, restrictions, one Chinese law professor and CPPCC member told the publication: granting a fetus the human rights of life may impact on womens rights.
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The Chinese foreign minister said progression had been induced on the South China Sea dispute.
Other interesting news has come from a press conference on the sidelines of the NPC given by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He said that China and the the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed on a draft Code of Conduct for the disputed South China Sea. The contentious islands were the topic of remarks earlier from U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who said that Chinas island building campaign was illegal and akin to Russias taking of Crimea.
Wang also warned of significant risks of a head-on crash between the U.S. and North Korea, as both nations test their respective weapons capabilities in a sort of military escalation North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently tested a nuclear-capable missile, and the U.S. began deploying the THAAD missile defense system and conducting large-scale military drills with South Korea.
Lastly, Wang indicated that a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping was in the works, a development which was reported by U.S. media Monday.
Reuters Staff/ Reuters
Xi and Trump could soon satisfy in person.
What to look forward to
Despite some the chances of tea leaf read by China watchers, it is likely that there will not be much that will be reported by journalists or that will be actionable by hedge fund managers to emerge from the Two Conferences this year.
So what should people watch for? I look forward to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China that will take place in the fall afterward this year thats when well learn a lot more about Xi Jinpings plans for his succession, or his plans to keep control of the levers of power beyond the conventional limit of two words as president.
In the meantime, one big wild card is Chinas relationship with the U.S. After poking China in the eye by publicizing his phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Donald Trump softened his tone in a later call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Some believe China threw him a bone by reportedly fast-tracking trademark applications his company had applied for in China in a range of business regions, an act the Chinese government denies was special treatment despite comments to the contrary.
Whether Xi and Trump succeed in lowering the tensions between the countries in the coming months or not, the Chinese president continues to pursue a new role as the champ of globalization in contrast to the America First rhetoric emanating from the White House. After Xis speech at Davos where the leader appeared to fill the gap of a more isolationist United States, state media reports from the Two Conferences have parroted the position, with Xinhua news agency commenting that his strong defense of free trade and warnings against protectionism have surprised and delighted observers. This annual political gathering may not have definitive answers to Chinas role in the global order, but the Two Sessions are a glimpse into what the world should be paying attention to.
