2024-03-05 01:44:00
4 hours ago
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China has entered the annual “Two Sessions” time. The National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and the National People’s Congress kicked off on Monday (March 4) and Tuesday (March 5) respectively.
This year’s “Two Sessions” is the first time in four years that the Chinese authorities have fully reopened to the media. During the COVID-19 epidemic, restrictions that prevented reporters from conducting on-site interviews have been lifted.
However, Chinese officials announced without warning on Monday that they would cancel the press conference held by the prime minister following the conclusion of the National People’s Congress this year and in the next few years, breaking a 30-year practice.
The “Two Sessions” are being held at a time when China’s economy is facing multiple challenges. Nearly 3,000 deputies to the National People’s Congress and 2,200 members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference went to Beijing to participate in the nearly week-long meeting.
Prime Minister’s press conference canceled
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China’s Two Sessions: Prime Minister’s press conference canceled this year and in future years
A spokesman for China’s National People’s Congress said on Monday that Premier Li Qiang would no longer meet with media representatives following the congress closed. The 30-year tradition of the Chinese Prime Minister’s “Two Sessions” press conferences has come to an end here.
Lou Qinjian, the new spokesperson of the National People’s Congress, said: “There will be no Prime Minister’s Press Conference following the second session of the 14th National People’s Congress this year. Unless there are special circumstances, there will be no Prime Minister’s Press Conference in the next few years of this National People’s Congress.”
Stephen McDonell, BBC reporter in Beijing, analyzed that this move will be interpreted as a further weakening of the influence of China’s No. 2 figure as Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President of China, further expands his power.
He said that although the prime minister’s press conferences are often carefully arranged and only allow the media to ask pre-screened questions, it seems that Xi Jinping still “does not want to be upstaged by another senior figure in the Chinese Communist Party.”
On Weibo, “No Prime Minister’s Press Conference will be held following the second session of the 14th National People’s Congress” once became a hot hashtag, but according to what the BBC reporter team saw, the hashtag was soon blocked.
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On March 13, 2023, Li Qiang met with Chinese and foreign media reporters for the first time as Chinese Prime Minister. This will be his only press conference during his current term of office until the conclusion of the national “Two Sessions” in 2028.
In 1991, the then Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng attended the press conference held following the conclusion of the National Two Sessions for the first time. Since 1993, the prime minister’s press conference during the “Two Sessions” has become the norm.
In China, where senior officials rarely give interviews to the media, the prime minister’s annual press conference attracts much attention. In addition to scripted answers, China’s No. 2 figure also occasionally makes remarks that are beyond expectations.
The most famous one was when Wen Jiabao, then Premier of the State Council, rarely severely criticized Bo Xilai, then Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, at his last press conference in office in 2012. The latter was immediately dismissed. He also called for “political structural reform,” which has long been considered a sensitive issue within the Chinese Communist Party.
Li Keqiang, who stepped down as Prime Minister last year, also caused a heated discussion on the Internet when he mentioned at a press conference that 600 million people in China “earn only 1,000 yuan a month.”
Resume on-site media interviews
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Although the prime minister’s press conference, considered the highlight of the “Two Sessions”, was canceled, this year’s “Two Sessions” also marked the return of the annual political meeting to the media.
Since the beginning of 2020, for four consecutive years, the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference have significantly reduced the number of reporters reporting on-site due to the COVID-19 epidemic, and some routine activities – such as the open days of various local delegations – have been cancelled.
Journalists were also required to check into government-designated hotels in advance. After undergoing multiple nucleic acid tests and quarantine, they were allowed to enter some conference venues in a “closed loop” and were completely separated from the participating delegates. In many cases, reporters can only ask questions to officials through remote video connections.
This year, almost all restrictive measures have been lifted, but reporters still need to do an on-site nucleic acid test when going through reporting procedures.
However, the officially announced duration of the “Two Sessions” is still only one week, which extends the length of the epidemic period and is almost half of what it was before the epidemic. The reason is unclear.
There will be another “100-meter dash” for reporters in Tiananmen Square – reporters from international media and Chinese domestic media will arrive at the entrance of the Great Hall of the People with various shooting equipment in the early morning, queue up, and then rush into the venue to grab seats.
However, as the Chinese authorities continue to tighten control over any dissent, participants in the “Two Sessions” undoubtedly choose to speak more cautiously than a few years ago.
When reporters at the Great Hall of the People on Monday asked members attending the opening session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference how they viewed the current slowdown in the economy, the vast majority declined to comment.
Some people also expressed their opinions.
Niu Tongxu, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said that as a legal professional, his area of concern is the development of the private economy. He believes that there is a need for a special private economy promotion law to provide greater space for the development of the private economy.
Shu Yong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said: “I think all kinds of problems need to be (faced) by society as it progresses.” He believes that China’s economy is still “on the whole improving.”
He said that as a literary and art worker, he hopes to better “empower” the economy through innovation in traditional culture.
Beijing has strict security
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As the “Two Sessions” kick off, the capital Beijing has comprehensively strengthened security measures.
Some Beijing citizens said that security this year is stricter than last year, with police stopping passers-by in many places, including subway stations, to verify ID cards.
The Beijing Public Security Bureau said in a notice issued last week that the use of drones will be banned in Beijing from March 1 to 12.
The State Post Bureau also held a special meeting and required that all mail sent to Beijing be subject to on-site “secondary security inspection” to create a “security protection river”.
“Bridge watchers” in some places have also resumed their duties.
On the eve of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2022, a protester hung a slogan protesting once morest Chinese leader Xi Jinping on an overpass in northwest Beijing. To prevent copycat behavior, authorities have deployed additional security personnel at major overpasses when important political meetings are held.
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