The most significant political meeting of the year in China, otherwise known as the Two Sessions, is now on. This annual gathering of leaders or annual Parliament includes the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), drawing over 3,000 delegates from various fields across the length and breadth of China.
The leaders, in business, tech, media, arts, medicine, and agriculture, among others, and a majority of whom are from the grassroots, besides listening to the government work report to be tabled by the Prime Minister, meet to hear and offer proposals on the nation’s roadmap for development for the 12 months ahead after review of accomplishments in the previous year. The delegates will submit individual bills on important issues.
The event, thus, provides valuable insights into China’s development agenda and the accompanying implications. This far-reaching impact explains why the event is followed by millions of people around the world. The majority do so having in mind that developments in China have global ramifications.
This is where keen observers of events in China learn about the nation’s policy outlook.
The event is a platform on which different groups voice their opinions on pertinent issues and aim to reach a consensus. This is seen through events organized for lawmakers to submit motions and suggestions, while political advisors offer proposals and insights.
It is happening at a time, despite negative perspectives, China’s economy defied many odds to register a massive growth of 5.2%. The country with the second-largest economy had navigated many external headwinds, overcame internal challenges, and registered progress. Its economy outpaced that of the advanced economies and demystified arguments by critics who have argued that the Chinese economy was stumbling.
The Chinese government will in most likelihood unveil new measures and appropriate policies to hold the economy in good stead, especially considering that President Xi Jinping has declared that that was the priority in 2024, even as the country seeks to explore new drivers of the nation’s economy.
The meeting, happening at the famous Great Hall of the People and lasting a fortnight, literally sets the tone for plans for the year, especially by bringing to the fore what is considered a priority by the government.
First and foremost, the Two Sessions is significant as it provides an opportunity for the Chinese government and ruling Community Party of China (CPC) to lay bare its strategy for economic, social, and political development in the year ahead, in what has become a transparent way to get a glimpse into government’s major plan for the nation, its people and the world.
Indeed, this transparency is appreciated by the global community, as it allows for a better understanding of China’s internal dynamics and its role in the global arena.
As mentioned above, and crucially, the event provides an important platform for China’s government to lay out its economic strategy and policies. The fact that China’s economy has been propelled to the second-highest level in the world means that the decisions made during the meeting will undoubtedly have a significant global economic impact.
In the area of politics, the meeting is a significant event in China, with major political programs and policies to be unveiled. The event offers great leads into the direction China’s political leadership, and the country’s future political path will take.
China has in the last few years unveiled numerous innovations that have kept the world talking. This is an area that the government has identified as a growth area. The Two Sessions will ultimately offer leads into the country’s chosen platform to lay out its technological roadmap.
The global community is interested in understanding China’s plans for technological development and how it will impact the global technology landscape, considering that some of the major technologies from China have made their way to almost every country worldwide. The development of new productive forces is currently picking up speed in China.
The origins of many significant laws, regulations, and policies that concern various sectors and groups were in the motions and proposals handed by lawmakers and political advisors to the meeting.
It will also be remembered that the Chinese leaders are advancing the dream of rejuvenating the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. This modernization agenda is seen as a natural choice for the country’s 100-year-long quest for development. This is particularly significant given that the country and its leaders believe that their future hinges on self-renewal.
Moreover, the Communist Party of China (CPC) continues to play a crucial role in China’s modernization journey, providing the pillar and guidance for the country’s development. CPC has led China from a poverty-stricken country to the world’s second-largest economy, top trader in goods, biggest holder of foreign exchange reserves, and biggest manufacturer.
A key feature of Chinese modernization is the dream of achieving common prosperity, ensuring that the benefits of modernization are shared by all members of society, focusing on people’s development, while maintaining harmony between humanity and nature. It is characterized by peaceful development driven by principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations.
Chinese modernization agenda is, therefore, of interest for the reason that, through it, Beijing is exploring a pathway for developing countries. This highlights China’s role as a model for other developing countries, demonstrating that any country can achieve needed development as long as the path suits its conditions and answers the needs of its people.
For many years, poverty eradication initiatives defined government efforts to address challenges in rural areas. This dream was achieved in 2021 when President Xi Jinping announced that China had eliminated absolute poverty. Many countries especially in the global south are today picking lessons from China in this regard.
Having achieved this milestone, China now concentrates on rural revitalization initiatives. In this program, the key emphasis lies in promoting high-level self-reliance and strengthening capabilities, particularly through science and technology. Rural revitalization initiatives will without a doubt form part of the deliberations in the annual parliament session and it’s a subject countries will take keen interest in.
Regarded as Africa’s biggest partner in development, the Two Sessions provides a platform for understanding future cooperation with the East Asian economic giant. Africa has already witnessed significant benefits from China’s remarkable economic performance and international influence. The Belt and Road Initiative, a platform for cooperation to which most African countries are members, has helped the continent implement beneficial projects in line with their development aspirations that would otherwise have been impossible to realize without the platform.
What’s more, Chinese President Xi Jinping will form part of the delegates to the annual meeting. Xi’s involvement in the Two Sessions reflects his leadership style, policy priorities, and commitment to governance reform. As the Chinese leader, his role in these annual political events underscores the importance of collective leadership, consensus-building, and institutionalized decision-making in China’s political system.
Eric Biegon is a Multimedia Journalist at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation
