TheGreatHallofthePeople-hometotheannualNPCandCPPCCsessionsXINHUADisregardingthecoldweatherhighupinthemountainsofXideCountyinsouthwestChina’sSichuanProvince,PanChengyingtrekkedforhalfadaytoreachtheremoteHuobaVillage.ItwasFebruary23andthedeputytothe12thNationalPeople’sCongress(NPC)setabouttoknockoneveryvillager’sdoor.Hermissionwassimplebutimportantinthegrandschemeofthings.Shewastheretofindoutwhattheselocalsneededtoimprovetheirlives.
Severaldayslater,PanreachedBeijingtoattendtheFifthSessionofthe12thNPC.Inhersuitcase,shehadathicknotebookcontainingalltheinformationcollectedfromtheareasherepresents,andamotionofdevelopingboardingschoolsinremoteareas.
“TheserepresentthehopesofthepeopleinmyhometownandImustmaketheirvoicesheardbycompetentdepartments,”shesaid.“ThisismydutyasanNPCdeputy.ImustspeakforthoseIrepresent,hereinBeijing.”
Politicalgathering
Panisoneofthemorethan5,000NPCdeputiesandmembersoftheNationalCommitteeoftheChinesePeople’sPoliticalConsultativeConference(CPPCC)whogatheredinBeijingtoreviewthegovernment’sworkinthepreviousyearanddiscussfuturedevelopment.NPCdeputiesandCPPCCmembersusuallyserveatermoffiveyears.
ThisisChina’slianghui,orTwoSessions,namely,theannualsessionsoftheNPC,China’stoplegislature,andtheCPPCCNationalCommittee,China’stoppoliticaladvisorybody.Thisyear,nearly3,000deputiestotheNPCandmorethan2,000membersoftheCPPCCNationalCommitteefromdifferentpartsofChinagatheredinBeijingwithmotionsandproposalsintheirhandsfromMarch3to15.
“ThisistheChinesewayofdemocracywherethevoicesfromeventhelowestlevelofcommunitiescanbeheardbypolicymakers,andproblemscanbesolvedtimeously,”saidPan.In2015,Pansubmittedhermotionofimprovingpre-schooleducationinremotemountainousareas.Soon,aprogramof“onevillage,onekindergarten”waslaunchedinherhometownofLiangshanYiAutonomousPrefecture.Shealsosuggestedincreasingrailwaytransportationtoplacesinhabitedbyethnicminorities.Latelastyear,threemoretrainswereaddedtoGanluoCountyofLiangshanYiAutonomousPrefecture.
“Theannuallianghuiistheplacenotonlyforpolicymakerstolearnmoreaboutlocalvoices,butalsofortheoutsideworldtoknowmoreaboutChina,”saidWangYiwei,SeniorResearcherattheChongyangInstituteforFinancialStudiesoftheBeijing-basedRenminUniversityofChina.“Thisyear,theworldcanseeconfidenceinChina’sdevelopmentfromlianghui.”
Economicstability
TheconfidencecomesfromChina’ssteadymediumhigheconomicgrowth,Wangnoted.AccordingtotheReportontheWorkoftheGovernmentdeliveredbyChinesePremierLiKeqiangattheopeningoftheNPCsessiononMarch5,China’sGDPgrowthin2017isprojectedtobearound6.5percent.
“Aprojectedeconomicgrowthrateofapproximately6.5percentisgoodnewsforAfrica,”GarthShelton,AssociateProfessoroftheDepartmentofInternationalRelations,UniversityoftheWitwatersrand,Johannesburg,SouthAfrica,toldChinAfrica.“AndstronggrowthinChinawilltranslateintoincreaseddemandforAfricancommodities.”
AccordingtoShelton,China’scontinuedcommitmenttoopeningupandinternationaltradewillbewelcomedinAfrica.ThegrowthinChina-Africatradeoverthelast20yearshasbeenakeyfactorinAfrica’seconomicdevelopment.
China’seconomicconfidencealsoimprovesglobalconfidence.Statisticsshowthatin2016,China’seconomicgrowthcontributedmorethan30percenttoworldeconomicgrowth.“China’sopeningdoorwillnotcloseagain,”saidChinesePresidentXiJinpingatadiscussionoftheNPCShanghaidelegation,ofwhichheisamember,onMarch5.XiaddedthatChinawillsticktoanall-roundopening-uppolicy,andcontinuetoliberalizeandfacilitatetradeandinvestment.
In2016alone,Chinamade$170.1billionoutbounddirectinvestmentandChinesetouristsmademorethan120millionoverseasvisits.AfricaisamongthemaindestinationsofChina’sinvestmentandtourists.
“IhopetheoutcomeoftheTwoSessionswillpromoteChineseinvestmentinAfricaandassistancewiththebuildingofroads,railwaylinesandrelatedinfrastructure,”Sheltonsaid.“China’sassistanceinthisregardprovidesthefoundationforAfrica’sindustrializationandmodernization.”
(WithadditionalreportingfromLuAnqiinJohannesburg)
Commentsto
SPECIALReportDevelopmentTargetChallenges
Duringthelianghui,ChinAfricareportersspoketoNPCdeputiesandCPPCCNationalCommitteememberstoheartheirthoughtsonhowtoachievenationaldevelopmenttargets.Editedexcerptsfollow:
LiYining,CPPCCNationalCommitteememberandrenownedeconomist:
TheReportontheWorkoftheGovernmentsetsthisyear’sprojectedGDPgrowthataround6.5percent,addingthatwewillstrivetoachievebetterresults.
Efficiencyisthemostimportantthingineconomics,anditrestsontwofoundations.Thefirstismaterialsandtechnology,aswellasthenumberoffactories,equipment,thequantityandqualityofrawmaterialsandthecapacityofthelaborforce.Materialsandtechnologyaretheguaranteefornormalgrowth.
Butefficiencyhasanotherfoundation,thatis,themoralbasis.Forexample,people’ssenseofidentityisahugeforce.People’sfeelingofbeinginthesameboatmeanscohesionandacommonsenseofcrisis.Moralpowerisimportantforitcanyieldunexpectedresults,whichhasbeendemonstratedinpreviouseffortstopreventandcontrolnaturaldisasters.Whetherwecanachieveaneconomicgrowthratehigherthan6.5percentdependsonwhetherwecanmakebreakthroughsinthefoundationsofefficiency.
MajorGeneralChenZhou,NPCdeputyandSeniorResearcherattheAcademyofMilitarySciences,People’sLiberationArmy:
China’sdefensespendingiscompatiblewithoureconomicconditionsandnationaldefenserequirementsandisveryappropriateandreasonable.
Thedefensebudgetwillbeusedtosupportnationaldefenseandmilitaryreformsaswellasmilitaryequipmentupgrading.Alargeproportionwillgotoimprovingtrainingandlivingconditionsoflocal-leveltroopsandcultivatinghigh-calibermilitaryofficers.Thespendingwillalsobeusedtosupporttheintegrationofmilitaryandcivilian[technologies].
China’sgrowingglobalstatusandinfluencerequiresittoshouldermoreinternationalresponsibilitiesandobligations,andthemilitaryisindispensablefordoingthis.ChinahastakenpartinUNpeacekeepingoperationssince1990.Thecountryhasalsoparticipatedinsecuritycooperationinanti-terrorismworkandhumanitarianaid.TheChinesemilitarywillbetterfulfillitsinternationalobligationstomakeagreatercontributiontoworldpeaceanddevelopment.
ChenXiwen,DeputyDirectoroftheCommitteeforEconomicAffairsoftheCPPCCNationalCommittee:
Topushforwardagriculturalsupply-sidereform,themostimportantthingistocarryoutinnovationintwoways.First,promotinginnovationinagriculturalscienceandtechnology.Newtechnologyshouldbeadopted,fromseedbreedingtoplantcultivationandlivestockfeeding,aswellasinsubsequentproductprocessing,storageandtransportation,toachievehigherefficiency.
Second,promotinginnovationintheagriculturalmanagementsystem.SinceChinahasalargepopulationandrelativelylimitedfarmland,theoverallscaleofagriculturalproductionissmall,especiallythatofland-intensiveproductssuchasgrain,cottonandoilcrops.Intheshortterm,therelativelysmallscaleandlowefficiencyofChina’sagriculturalproductioncannotbechanged.However,thiscanberemediedtoacertainextentthroughinnovationintheagriculturalmanagementsystem.