ASSESSMENTS

China Tries to Stick to the Script

Mar 4, 2016 | 21:30 GMT

Military delegates arrive in Beijing on March 4 for a session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

(GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images)

China is getting ready to kick off two of the biggest political events of the year, but a flagging economy will likely cast a shadow over the proceedings. The National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Congress are annual shows, heavily scripted and surrounded by pomp and circumstance, that are meant to give Communist leaders a chance to raise support for their policies. But the past year has been one of ineffective economic measures, punctuated by the occasional spectacular failure to stabilize increasingly volatile markets. At the same time, China's political crackdown has intensified as Party leaders move to eliminate any resistance to their policies ahead of the next Communist Party congress in 2017. Both events are intended to project a sense of unity among China's leaders and tranquility in the country at large. However, reports of severely restricted press access and tension among the delegates suggest a...

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