Thousands of Communist Party members have arrived in Beijing for the start of the highly anticipated session of its top legislative body.
The National People’s Congress is due to open on Saturday and is expected to continue for about two weeks as delegates approve a personnel reshuffle.
The legislative meeting — an annual event commonly referred to as the “two sessions” — is expected to see major shakeups at the top levels of the party’s leadership.
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Li Zhanshu of the National People’s Congress (NPC), Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attend the opening of the first session of the 14th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People on March 4, 2023 , in Beijing. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
President Xi Jinping, who has already been reappointed for another term as general secretary of the CPC and chairman of the military commission, is also expected to be approved for his third presidential term.
The three titles are traditionally held concurrently by the nation’s leader.
Political announcements and leadership choices will likely incriminate China’s political direction for the next five years.
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Chinese national flags are flown in Tian’anmen Square ahead of the two annual sessions on March 3, 2023 in Beijing. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images.)
The People’s Republic of China is a one-party socialist republic governed entirely by the Communist Party of China.
The election of political representatives takes place at the local level, but the public has no input on the nominations at the national level.
China has seen heightened tension within the international community over its continued support for ally Russia during the latter’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Geng Huaiqing, deputy of the National People’s Congress, explains the “two sessions” to students in Huaian District, Huai’an city, east China’s Jiangsu province, March 3, 2023. (CPHOTO/Future release via Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week slammed the Chinese government for saying it supports a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, despite reports that China is considering lending lethal aid to its ally.
Mao dismissed Blinken’s remarkcalling the allegations hypocritical as the United States continues to fund the Ukrainian military to repel invading Russian forces.
“The United States has poured lethal weapons onto the battlefield in Ukraine, stoking the fire and spreading disinformation. We are strongly against it,” Mao said.
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People visit the Communist Party of China Museum in Beijing on March 3, 2023, ahead of the opening of the annual session of the National People’s Congress on March 5. (GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)
Mao continued: “The United States must reflect on itself, stop sowing confusion, stop trying to mislead the world, and stop making assumptions about others based on the behavior of the United States. The United States must shoulder its responsibilities, help reduce tensions and promote dialogue and stop pointing fingers and discrediting other countries”.
China has also come under increased scrutiny as US government agencies have begun to take the “lab leak” theory regarding the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic more seriously.
