Chinese leader Xi Jinping is set to emerge as president for a norm-breaking third term at the end of the country’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress, which convenes for eight days of choreographed sessions on Sunday.
The ceremonial NPC, and China’s top advisory body, Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which opened on Saturday, are meeting in the backdrop of a slowing economy and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The nearly 3,000 members of the NPC will also put its stamp on a new line-up of top government officials to be led by a new premier — set to be Xi’s confidante and former Shanghai chief, Li Qiang — for the next five years.
The delegates will also ratify government titles for other officials like vice premiers and heads of different ministries: The decisions would have already been taken in the run-up to the “Two Sessions” — as the meetings are known — and after the 20th Communist Party Congress (CPC), held in October last year.
The meeting is also set to implement plans, according to official new agency, Xinhua, on the “reform of Party and state institutions, a list of proposed candidates for the leading positions of state institutions to be recommended to the first session of the 14th NPC, and a list of proposed candidates for the leadership of the CPPCC National Committee to be recommended to the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee.”
The NPC will discuss a plan to reform institutions under the State Council, or cabinet, and review draft amendments to the Legislation Law, the new NPC spokesperson, Wang Chao, said at a press conference at the Great Hall of the People on Saturday.
It will also review a series of reports including the outgoing premier — outgoing Premier Li Keqiang — work report, Wang said.
China’s economic outlook for 2023 as it emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic will be a key area of focus and of global interest.
“We expect Beijing to set this year’s GDP growth target at ‘around 5.5%’, which is the same as last year and close to our forecast for 2023 GDP growth of 5.3%. Amid the ongoing growth recovery, the official target for the fiscal deficit to GDP ratio could be set at 2.8% this year, unchanged from last year,” brokerage Nomura said in a report on Friday.
China is also likely to announce its defence budget as part of the work report on Sunday.
“China’s defence spending as a share of GDP has been kept basically stable for many years. It is lower than the world average and the increase is appropriate and reasonable,” Wang said at the press conference without sharing details.
China, Wang said, needs to increase its defence spending to meet “complex security challenges” and “fulfill its responsibility as a major country”.
“China always firmly opposes long-arm jurisdiction which abuses the extraterritorial application of domestic law to suppress foreign entities and individuals,” said, adding: “China’s core interests must not be undermined, its sovereignty and territorial integrity must not be infringed upon”.
