BEIJING: China’s leaders on Monday wrapped up a week of key meetings, where they acknowledged that more efforts were needed to revive the sluggish economy,
hit by a declining housing market, poor domestic demand and record-high youth unemployment.
AFP reports that top officials have been candid about the challenges facing China and admitted that the 5 percent growth target will not be easy and that “hidden risks” are dragging the economy down. But they provided few details about how they plan to address the problem.
Officials have also moved to strengthen powers to deal with threats to their government and tighten secrecy around policymaking,
canceled the traditional annual press conference, and promised to include national security provisions in a series of new laws.
Delegates from the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s parliament, including leader Xi Jinping, gathered at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People to pass the law on Monday afternoon.
Among the items of legislation approved was a revision of the Organic Law of the State Council, China’s cabinet, which state media said would aim to deepen the ruling Communist Party’s “leadership” over the government.
Delegates also approved the state budget and national economic and social development plan for 2024.
Only a handful of the body’s nearly 3,000 delegates voted against the proposal.
“FORWARD BOLDLY”
Speaking to the media, representatives offered equal praise for the government.
Li Dexiang, representing the southwestern province of Guizhou, told AFP he believed “the government has a good grasp of reality”.
Delegate from eastern Jiangsu province Lyu Caixia said the experience of the parliamentary meeting “encourages one to come forward boldly”.
“We are accelerating high-quality development… up to the highest levels (of government),” he added.
And Ling Youshi, a delegate from the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong, said he had felt the “gravity of legislative considerations” during his time attending the so-called “Two Sessions”.
