China’s top legislative body’s opening meeting held

The opening meeting of the second session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) of China was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the opening meeting.
Premier Li Qiang delivered a government work report at the meeting.
Lawmakers reviewed a report from the State Council on the implementation of the 2023 plan for national economic and social development and on the 2024 draft plan, as well as the draft plan for national economic and social development in 2024.

They also reviewed a report from the State Council on the execution of the central and local budgets for 2023 and on the draft central and local budgets for 2024, as well as the draft central and local budgets for 2024.
The following are the highlights of the Chinese government work report submitted Tuesday to the national legislature for deliberation (Published by Xinhua.)

– ۲۰۲۴ GDP growth target: around 5 percent

– Creating over 12 million jobs in urban areas
– Ratio of deficit to GDP: 3 percent
– Special-purpose bonds for local governments: 3.9 trillion yuan
– Issuing ultra-long special treasury bonds
– Launching AI Plus initiative
– Enhancing disruptive and frontier technology research
– Launching year-long program to stimulate consumption
– Investment from central government budget: 700 billion yuan
– Expanding domestic demand
– Ensuring national treatment for foreign-funded enterprises
– Working toward joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
– Pursuing higher-standard opening up
– Defusing risks in property, local debt, small and medium-sized financial institutions
– Ensuring both development and security
– Advancing energy revolution
– Opposing “Taiwan independence” and external interference
– Upholding international fairness and justice

The National People’s Congress (NPC) is the highest organ of state power in the People’s Republic of China. The NPC is the only branch of government in China, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs from the State Council to the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) are subservient to it.
With 2,977 members in 2023, it is the largest legislative body in the world. The NPC is elected for a term of five years. It holds annual sessions every spring, usually lasting from 10 to 14 days, in the Great Hall of the People on the west side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

It is worth mentioning that China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC) arranged a program for journalists from around the world and took them to the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday morning so that they could see the place and watch the opening meeting of the second session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC). CIPCC, under the China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA), has initiated a program to build a platform for the media from countries around the world, especially developing countries, to observe China and study development in this country. The program aimed at media exchange was halted in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 epidemic.

In each edition of the program, journalists from all around the world gather together to get familiar with modern China and exchange their experiences in the field of journalism.
In 2024 edition of the program, scheduled to be held from late February until late June, over 100 journalists from more than 90 countries are participating.