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Dear friends and colleagues,
Happy lianghui! I woke up with a terrible crick in my neck, so this issue is a bit shorter than I would have liked.
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Xi’s government
This year’s NPC provides more evidence of Xi’s power consolidation. Even though yesterday should have been Li’s day, Xi dominated Xinhua’s media coverage. It was difficult to find an image of the Premier on the Xinhua homepage.
More importantly, Xi is all over the various work reports – literally. He is mentioned four times in the budget, up from twice last year. He was mentioned six times in the NDRC report (up from three last year) and nine times in the Government Work Report (up from six last year). For comparison, in 2012 Hu Jintao got two mentions in the Government Work Report and one mention each in the budget and NDRC report.
Xi’s importance can also be seen in references to the “new development philosophy” in the NDRC report. This is Xi’s key contribution to economic policy, and the NDRC sets “build[ing] a strong understanding of” the philosophy as one of the “general requirements” for 2017.
It’s a safe bet that the “philosophy” will shape Xi’s economic agenda for the next five years. To date, it’s not much more than a group of adjectives (innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared), but Xi’s report at the 19th Party Congress – which is in the process of being drafted – will hopefully help to flesh these ideas out.
| PBSC Week in Review | ||
| Xi Jinping
Party General Secretary; PRC President; |
Mar 5 | Xi attended the opening meeting of the NPC annual session.
Li Keqiang delivered the government work report.
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| Chairman of Central Military Commission | Mar 4 | Xi joined a panel discussion with political advisors from three Chinese non-Communist parties.
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| Mar 3 | Xi attended the opening of the CPPCC Annual Session.
The meeting heard the CPPCC Standing Committee Work Report.
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| Feb 28 | Xi chaired a meeting of the Leading Small Group on Financial and Economic Affairs.
The meeting heard reports from economic regulators on their work plans in excess capacity cutting, financial risk control, property market regulation and the revival of the manufacturing sector. The meeting also discussed the work report of the leading group.
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| Li Keqiang
Premier |
Mar 5 | Li delivered a government work report at the opening meeting of the NPC annual session.
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| Mar 4 | Li joined a CPPCC panel discussion with political advisors from economic and agricultural sectors.
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| Mar 3 | Li attended the opening of the CPPCC Annual Session.
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| Feb 28 | Li attended a meeting of the Leading Small Group on Financial and Economic Affairs.
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| Zhang Dejiang
Chair of the National People’s Congress |
Mar 5 | Zhang chaired the opening meeting of the NPC annual session.
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| Mar 4 | Zhang presided over the first presidium meeting of the NPC annual session.
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| Zhang chaired a meeting of NPC chairman and vice-chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee.
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| Zhang joined in a CPPCC panel discussion of political advisors from Hong Kong and Macau SAR.
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| Zhang chaired an NPC preparatory meeting.
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| Mar 3 | Zhang attended the opening of the CPPCC Annual Session.
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| Feb 28 | Zhang met with Grzegorz Czelej, deputy speaker of the Senate of Poland.
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| Yu Zhengsheng
Chair of the Chinese People’s Political |
Mar 5 | Yu attended the opening meeting of the NPC annual session.
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| Consultative Conference | Mar 4 | Yu joined a panel discussion with political advisors from three Chinese non-Communist parties.
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| Yu joined a CPPCC panel discussion of political advisors from the circles of social sciences as well as press and publication.
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| Mar 3 | Yu presented the CPPCC Standing Committee Work Report at the opening of the CPPCC Annual Session.
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| Feb 28 | Yu chaired and spoke at the closing ceremony of the CPPCC Standing Committee meeting.
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| Liu Yunshan
Head of Party Secretariat; Head |
Mar 5 | Liu attended the opening meeting of the NPC annual session.
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| of Propaganda | Mar 4 | Liu joined a CPPCC panel discussion with political advisors from the literary and art circles.
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| Mar 3 | Liu attended the opening of the CPPCC Annual Session.
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| Mar 1 | Liu attended and spoke at the opening ceremony of the Party School Spring Semester.
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| Wang Qishan
Secretary of the Central Commission for |
Mar 5 | Wang attended the opening meeting of the NPC annual session.
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| Discipline Inspection | Mar 4 | Wang joined a panel discussion of CPPCC political advisors form the Communist Youth League of China, the All-China Youth Federation, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the All-China Women’s Federation.
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| Mar 3 | Wang attended the opening of the CPPCC Annual Session.
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| Zhang Gaoli
Executive Vice Premier |
Mar 5 | Zhang attended the opening meeting of the NPC annual session.
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| Mar 4 | Zhang joined a panel discussion of CPPCC political advisors from the China Zhi Gong Party, the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and the group for friendship with foreign countries.
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| Mar 3 | Zhang attended the opening of the CPPCC Annual Session.
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| Mar 1 | Zhang spoke at a high-level meeting for the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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| Feb 28 | Zhang attended a meeting of the Leading Small Group on Financial and Economic Affairs.
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| Feb 27 | Zhang met with Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.
Together, they chaired four high-level cooperative meetings between China and Singapore, including the 13th China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation Meeting, the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Joint Steering Council Meeting, the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Joint Steering Council Meeting, and the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity Joint Steering Council Meeting.
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| About CPW
China Politics Weekly aims to keep business leaders, investors, diplomats, scholars and other China hands up to date on important trends in China. It is produced by Trey McArver, a London-based consultant providing advice and intelligence to firms and investors engaged in China and the region. You can find out more about Trey and CPW in this interview.
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