China focuses on accelerating its economy, strengthening rule of law

NPC-CPPCC

As China’s annual political season came to a close, Premier Li Keqiang delivered Beijing’s outlook for the future.
His message to the world: Beijing is focused on accelerating its economy, strengthening rule of law, and improving the livelihood of its citizens.

CCTV’s Su Yuting filed this report from Beijing.

Highlights:

  • China’s GDP expanded 7.4 percent last year, its lowest level of growth since 1990.
  • Li Keqiang said it won’t be easy for China to grow its economy by around 7 percent this year as targeted by the government, but authorities will do what they can to ensure growth stays within a reasonable range.
  • The government will continue to “remove roadblocks and pave the way” for entrepreneurship.
  • China will step up its efforts to streamline the government administration, and mandate more powers to lower-level governments in a bid to boost market vitality amid economic slowdown.
  • Topics covered the major economic, social and foreign policies, as well as many public concerns, including what’s known as the Internet Plus strategy, and encouraging young graduates to start their own businesses.
  • The Internet Plus plan promotes online technology with the aim of helping Internet companies increase their international presence.

NPC session concludes in Beijing

In China, the National People’s Congress has wrapped up its annual session in Beijing.
Nearly 3,000 deputies spent the past 11 days scrutinizing the government’s work.

Deputies say they are pleased to see that their participation made a difference, but believe there’s still room for improvement.
CCTV’s Ai Yang filed this report from Beijing.

Highlights:

  • After 11 day’s intense deliberation, Chinese lawmakers cast their vote on a series of important documents.
  • The lawmakers’ scrutiny resulted in over a dozen major modifications in the final version of the government’s work plan, and the Legislation Law Amendment.
  • Promoting the rule of law, and fighting graft home and abroad have won applause for China’s judicial reform. But not everyone is content. Among the documents, the work reports from China’s top judicial bodies received the most dissenting votes, respectively at 213 and 284, out of out of nearly 3,000 votes.
  • The judicial work reports speak on the country’s ability to bring justice. They get more dissenting votes than the other documents every year , nevertheless, there has been a significant drop in that number in the past two years.
  • Deputies passed up other documents such as the NPC’s own work report and the budget report.

Highlights of China’s 2015 political season

The annual political season in China came to a close with the National People’s Congress endorsing the government work report and budget plans.
Afterwards, Premier Li Keqiang took questions from the media.

Han Peng filed this report from Beijing.

Highlights:

  • Anti-corruption remained a major focus through the political season.
  • The economy also dominated the agenda, as this year’s Two Sessions came at a time when China is coping with a continuing economic slowdown.
  • Premier Li Keqiang set the target of GDP growth at its lowest for a quarter of a century.
  • The biggest highlight this year was the country’s unprecedented emphasis on the rule of law.
  • More than 500 motions raised by the NPC deputies, an overwhelming 90 percent were on legislation.
  • At the end of the NPC session, a groundbreaking legislation law has been passed with some major changes in defining the boundaries between government and citizens.
  • Under the legislation law, new laws to be passed in the future cannot increase citizens’ liabilities or take away their rights without legal basis, and province-level governments must get NPC approval before raising taxes.