Approximately 3,000 representatives from China's political, business, and cultural elite gathered in Beijing for a week-long session of the National People's Congress (NPC), which ended without the usual press conference by the prime minister.
The annual meeting of China's parliament begins on March 4 at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square, with delegates tasked with approving new laws and political appointments, as well as evaluating a series of reports from all government ministries. I lost it.
Since 1993, proceedings have ended with a press conference by the prime minister, but last week it was announced that Li Qiang would not speak to journalists.
Had he done so, he might have been able to provide some insight into the legislation approved by National People's Congress representatives, such as the transition to “industries of the future” and the focus on national security.
Here are five key takeaways from this year's official events.
Open to AI
Facial recognition scanners at the entrance to the National People's Congress gave attendees an idea of what an economy focused on “future industries” might look like.
Premier Li Qiang's government work report details how new technologies, from electric cars to commercial spaceflight, could help China's economy escape the weight of a struggling real estate market.
“The two sessions clearly conveyed China's intention to focus on developing new technologies to achieve self-sufficiency,” Angela Chan, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Law, told Al Jazeera.
“China is driven by a sense of urgency to catch up with the United States,” said Zhang, who is also the author of “High Wire: How China Regulators Big Tech and Governs It Economy.”
To address potential economic growth through new technologies, Zhang told Al Jazeera that he believes “the Chinese government will adopt a relatively liberal approach to regulating new technologies such as AI.” Ta.
future industry
Facial recognition cameras suggest China could join Israel and the US in the lucrative surveillance technology market, but Bart Hoffman, a professor at the East Asia Institute at the National University of Singapore, says the new technology could help China. I'm looking at a number of different ways. Escape from recent financial hardships.
While China is “on track” to meet its climate change targets by 2060, Mr Hoffmann said that while China is “on track” to meet its climate change targets by 2060, as the Financial Times' chief economic commentator Martin Wolff has also argued, He said there could be economic benefits by “bringing forward” the transition sooner. .
For example, Hoffman told Al Jazeera that the government could “give subsidies to households to buy more of China's burgeoning production of EVs.” [electric vehicle] manufacturing industry.”
defense and security
The government did not announce specific spending targets for the green transition at the National People's Congress.
In contrast, it announced that defense spending in 2024 will increase by 7.2%, the same level as in 2023.
Explaining the increase, a spokesperson said, “China has maintained relatively low military spending, and the country has always adhered to the path of peaceful development.”
However, in the section of the Prime Minister's activity report that referred to Taiwan, there was a conspicuous lack of any reference to peace. In his report last year he called for “progress”.[ing] Meanwhile, Li said this year that China is “resolutely committed to advancing the cause of China's reunification.”
According to Hoffman, the increases in China's military spending announced at the National People's Congress may not translate into real increases.
He told Al Jazeera that he is more concerned about the focus on “the future industry in China and industrial policy for its development” after this year's National People's Congress focused on this area. he said.
Still, China's military spending has attracted significant attention given that other countries are already spending more on defense.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), other countries, including the United States, Japan, Australia and South Korea, have increased military spending “due to the perception of a growing threat from China.”
Although China's defense budget has more than doubled since 2015, the United States continues to significantly outpace China in military spending, according to William D. Hartung of the Quincy Institute.
Hartung cited SIPRI data, which he said goes beyond China's official military spending and includes “the full range of China's military-related activities.” Even taking this into account, SIPRI's latest estimates put US military spending at $877 billion in 2022, nearly three times as much as China's $292 billion.
difficult economic problems
Some ministers were relatively outspoken about the challenges facing China, particularly in the area of economic growth.
Housing Minister Ni Hong was quoted as saying that the task of rebuilding China's real estate market is “very difficult.”
The collapse of real estate developer Evergrande was a potentially sensitive topic at the meeting, with one journalist reportedly being questioned about his association with the company after going through a facial recognition scanner.
Although China's goal of 5% growth in 2024 is seen by some as “ambitious,” Hoffman sees it as relatively realistic if China can break out of a potential “deflationary spiral.”
He said the Chinese government is wary of stimulus related to the weak housing market, but is willing to do more to stimulate the economy, including a recent “very minimal” hike in rural pensions of about $20. He said there are other ways to get funds into people's hands. Monthly Chinese Yuan ($2.78).
Few, if any, new announcements will be made during the formal process, as NPC representatives are reviewing previously agreed documents “almost line by line,” Hoffman said.
The Financial Times reported that officials from some states with Chinese debt met with state bank officials on the sidelines of Congress.
look outside
By not holding a customary press conference, China removed one of the few avenues open to foreign media seeking to understand how it sees itself in the world.
However, while Li did not address the media, Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a press conference last week on the sidelines of the National People's Congress.
The venue was packed and Wang answered questions from journalists from publications in countries including Egypt, Russia and the United States.
Wang said that since China's President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden met in San Francisco last year, relations had soured due to differences over trade issues with Taiwan and suspicions about China. He said there had been an improvement. Chinese spy balloon.
Asked about relations between China and Russia in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he said that close ties between China and Russia are a “strategic choice” and that bilateral trade is expected to reach a record $240 billion in 2023. He pointed out that it had been reached.
He described the relationship between the two countries as a “new paradigm” in great power relations, adding that “new opportunities” lie ahead.
“Major powers should not seek conflict and should not allow the Cold War to return,” Wang said.
Wang Yi also responded to questions about Israel's war in Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire and telling reporters that China supports Palestine's “full” membership in the United Nations.