Published: March 07,2023
By Staff writer
China’s 2023 Two Sessions is currently going on. The Two sessions brings together the country’s top lawmakers and politicians to discuss critical issues of national concern such as economic development, governance matters, health related issues, environmental protection, agriculture and more. In short, the Two Session examines the state of the nation and sets targets for the coming years.
The concerns of the people are brought to the two sessions by the nearly 3,000 national legislators and around 2,000 political advisors bring with them people’s expectations for a better life as well as issues of public concern, so that the will of the 1.4 billion Chinese people is incorporated into the top-level design of national development.
The government work report highlighted China’s economic recovery after the effects of COVID-19.”China’s economy is staging a steady recovery and demonstrating vast potential and momentum for further growth,” It announced that China will intensify efforts to attract and utilize foreign investment. “With a vast and open market, China is sure to provide even greater business opportunities for foreign companies in China.”
“China’s GDP increased to 121 trillion yuan, registering an annual growth rate of 5.2 percent over the past five years. Over the past decade, GDP has increased by almost 70 trillion yuan at an annual rate of 6.2 percent. We have achieved a medium-high rate of economic growth given our large economic aggregate and transitioned to high-quality development. Government revenue increased to 20.4 trillion yuan. Annual grain output remained steady at over 650 million metric tons for several consecutive years. The total value-added of industry exceeded the 40-trillion-yuan mark, and average yearly urban jobs growth hit more than 12.7 million. Foreign exchange reserves remained stable at over US$3 trillion. These figures show that China’s economic strength has increased significantly”, the government work report highlighted.
The annual sessions of the National People’s Congress, the top legislature, and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body, are an occasion for the most pressing concerns of people and the country to be discussed. There are also online channels for people to voice their concerns or put forward suggestions about legislation and other matters.
The deputies who are elected to the NPC are responsible for listening to people’s concerns in their constituencies and conducting fact-finding missions about specific problems. They then write motions, which are delivered to the NPC annual session for deliberation before measures to address them are adopted as national policies if deemed necessary. This is a vivid practice of the whole-process people’s democracy in China, which has been underscored as an essential requirement of Chinese modernization.
The government work report stressed that “the past five years for China have been truly momentous and remarkable,” saying the country has met numerous tests, including accelerated changes on the international landscape, the COVID-19 pandemic and a domestic economic slowdown, and made major achievements in economic and social development, including winning the critical battle against poverty and finishing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.