Forecast of Hot Topics at NPC and CPPCC Sessions

The second session of the 12th National People’s Congress （NPC） and the second session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC）， popularly known as the “two sessions”， where the country’s major policies are mapped out， are scheduled to be held in Beijing this March. The year 2014 is considered a turning point for China’s efforts to comprehensively deepen reform. This year， the country is expected to further transform its economic growth mode， release reform plans concerning important aspects such as income distribution， and make breakthroughs in terms of thorny issues such as building a united， equal pension system. For this reason， the impending NPC and CPPCC sessions have drawn attention not only from Chinese people but also from around the globe. What issues will be heavily discussed at the two sessions？ China Pictorial would like to share its predictions with readers.

Deepening Reform and Economic Restructuring

In late 2013， the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China（CPC） passed the Decision on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reforms， which is considered a blueprint for reform across various fields in the coming decade. Of the 60 reform tasks mentioned in the Decision， 23 have begun with specific measures formulated. This year will reveal which of those measures can be implemented. In terms of macroeconomics， China is still facing challenges such as global economic uncertainty， a real estate bubble， and financial risk， as well as obstacles blocking its path to economic restructuring. According to the Central Economic Work Conference in late 2013， China has set its 2014 GDP growth rate at about 7.5 percent. The figure indicates that the country will maintain healthy growth while placing more attention on accelerating its economic restructuring. In these regards， NPC deputies and CPPCC members at this year’s sessions will advise on how to promote economic restructuring and realize sustainable， creativity-oriented development.

Anti-Corruption

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in November 2012， some 20 provincial and ministerial-level officials have been investigated for corruption， and more than 30，000 officials have been punished for violating the “eight-point” anti-bureaucracy rules implemented in late 2012. Additionally， 108，000 were punished for violating Party rules in the first nine months of 2013. Such moves， of course， have raised the public’s expectations for stricter anti-corruption measures in 2014. There are signs that the Chinese government will formulate policies to require officials to disclose their assets and strengthen management of officials whose families live abroad. How to build a long-term anti-corruption mechanism and better supervise the exercise of official power requires suggestions from NPC deputies and CPPCC members.

Employment， Healthcare， and Retirement System

Livelihood issues such as employment of college graduates， healthcare insurance reform， and retirement system reform can always stir up the greatest concern among the public. In recent years， China has made remarkable achievements in improving people’s well-being. However， some problems remain in sectors such as social security and public services. It is believed that proposals suggesting the implementation of flexible retirement， elimination of pension disparities between government and private workers， and the realization of nationwide health insurance reimbursements will be discussed at this year’s sessions.

“Two-Child Policy”and Education

In 2013， the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee agreed on a policy to allow couples to have two children if either parent is an only child， a significant change in the country’s decades-long family planning strategy. The policy was passed later at the sixth meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th NPC， and is estimated to affect 15 to 20 million Chinese parents. Education-related issues， such as how to remove inequality in education and how to accelerate educational reform， will cause heated discussion at this year’s NPC and CPPCC sessions.

Food and Drug Safety

Food and drug safety has long been one of the hottest issues both amongst the public and at NPC and CPPCC sessions. Last year， scandals regarding food and drug safety， such as cadmium-tainted rice， juice from rotten fruit， and a vaccine suspected to cause the death of babies， occurred one after another. At this year’s sessions， NPC deputies and CPPCC members are expected to map out solutions to improve the country’s food and drug safety supervision mechanism and force enterprises to take responsibility and carry out strict checks during the entire process from manufacturing to consumption， so as to form a sound food and drug safety system in line with China’s current situation.

Income Distribution Reform

Income distribution reform is an important part of China’s overall reform strategy. The 2013 Report on the Work of the Government states that China will “narrow the income gap so that the fruits of development are more equitably shared by all the people.” Many wonder what statement the 2014 government work report will make on the issue. Specific rules for the implementation of income distribution reform are expected to be released this year. The ultimate goal of reform is to turn China into an olive-shaped society in terms of wealth by eliminating unfairness in primary distribution of income， narrowing the income gap， and removing disparities in social security.

Agriculture and Farmers

An old Chinese saying goes that “food is the paramount necessity of the people.” China is a country with an enormous rural population but a humble rate of cultivated land per capita. As the country quickens its pace towards urbanization， the Chinese government has lifted issues concerning agriculture， countryside， and farmers to the top of its agenda. According to decisions made at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee， farmers will be given greater property rights， and China will promote more balanced allocation of public resources between urban and rural areas and build a healthy system for urbanization. However， exactly how to realize the goal requires useful suggestions from NPC deputies and CPPCC members.

Metropolitan Malaise and New Urbanization

China’s urbanization rate has now surpassed 52 percent. However， obstacles remain along the continuing road to urbanization. Urban residents suffer bigcity problems， such as traffic jams， pollution， and expensive housing， while farmers who move to cities face unequal access to social security. The long-awaited National New-Type Urbanization Plan is expected to be unveiled soon， which will provide approaches to registering eligible rural workers as permanent urban residents， enhancing the sustainable development of cities， promoting balanced development of urban and rural areas， and reforming the urbanization mechanism. The public expects a clearer roadmap for the country’s urbanization to be drafted at this year’s NPC and CPPCC sessions.

Pollution vs. Dream of a“Beautiful China”

The traditional development mode featuring high energy consumption has resulted in severe environmental contamination： Smog has swept across 1.4 million square kilometers of China’s territory， and many regions continue to suffer from polluted ground water. In late 2012， the concept of building a “beautiful China”was written into the keynote report at the 18th CPC National Congress， as part of China’s efforts towards ecological progress. However， local governments sacrificing their environments in favor of economic development remain common. In 2013， China vowed to “accelerate shutdowns of outdated production facilities.” This year， it will further efforts to “restrict total energy consumption.” Relieving air， water， and soil pollution has become a significant task for China in 2014. How to tackle the issue will become a hot topic at this year’s NPC and CPPCC sessions.

Diplomacy and Sino-Japanese Relations

China realized great diplomatic achievements last year： Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited more than 20 foreign countries and met over 60 visiting heads of state or government， as well as more than 300 foreign political leaders. Despite those new achievements， Chinese diplomacy is still facing challenges such as territorial disputes in the South China Sea. At the end of 2013， Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine cast a cloud on Sino-Japanese ties that had already been damaged due to the Diaoyu Islands dispute. In 2014， friendly cooperation will remain the primary tone of China’s diplomacy with neighboring countries. The country will seek to strengthen economic cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations （ASEAN） and consolidate its relations with South and Central Asian countries， thus maintaining regional peace and prosperity of Asia. This year， Beijing and Shanghai will host the 2014 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and the Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia（CICA）， respectively. Many wonder which guests Chinese top leaders will meet during the two international meetings.