ASSESSMENTS

China's 'Two Sessions' Debrief: A Strong Party and a Stable Economy

Mar 21, 2023 | 19:12 GMT

Chinese President Xi Jinping (bottom) arrives for the second plenary session of the National People's Congress with other Chinese leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on March 7, 2023.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (bottom) arrives for the second plenary session of the National People's Congress with other Chinese leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on March 7, 2023.

(GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)

China's legislative meetings focused on stabilizing the economy and extending the influence of President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over the country's governance, which may improve Beijing's ability to defuse financial risks, but at the expense of economic management expertise and the independence of the private sector. From March 4-13, China held its annual joint sessions of the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (commonly termed ''Two Sessions''). This year's Two Sessions was momentous because it was meant to be complementary to the October 2022 Party Congress, which only occurs once every five years. During these ten days of Two Sessions, the State Council released a work report with a policy agenda for 2023, as well as a reform plan that shuffled duties for top state institutions. New individuals were also appointed to fill senior state leadership roles. Throughout, a number of key speeches...

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