Understanding China Through Keywords

Learning keywords is one of the best ways to keep abreast of the latest developments in a country. The China Academy of Translation， a research institute affiliated with the China International Publishing Group， the countrys leading international publisher， regularly analyzes prevailing Chinese terms in various sectors and translates them into a number of foreign languages ranging from English to Arabic. In each issue， Beijing Review presents a selection of these keywords to help readers know more about China.

The Two Centennial Goals

At its 18th National Congress the Communist Party of China（CPC） presented a roadmap and issued a call for achieving the Two Centennial Goals： successfully completing the process of building a moderately well-off society； and accelerating socialist modernization. Specifically， this means doubling Chinas 2010 GDP and per-capita income for both urban and rural residents by the time the CPC celebrates its centenary in 2021， and building China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous， strong， democratic， culturally advanced， and harmonious and reaches the level of moderately developed countries by the time the Peoples Republic of China celebrates its centenary in 2049. The Two Centennial Goals embody the grand vision and ambitious ideals the Chinese Dream represents， and achieving these goals will provide the basis for making the Chinese Dream a reality.

The system of peoples congresses

Representing the fundamental core of Chinas political fabric， the system of peoples congresses ensures that the people are the masters of the country. State power is exercised by the people through the National Peoples Congress （NPC） and local peoples congresses. The preeminence of the NPC as the highest organ of state power is enshrined in Chinas Constitution. Heads of executive， judicial and procuratorial organs are elected or appointed by peoples congresses， responsible to them and subject to their oversight. The decision-making on major public affairs is within the purview of peoples congresses. The executive branch is responsible for implementing the laws， resolutions and decisions adopted by peoples congresses. Courts and procuratorates exercise their respective judicial and procuratorial powers independently， free from the intervention of executive organs， social groups or individuals. The First Session of the First NPC， held in September 1954， marked the official establishment of the system of peoples congresses nationwide.

Targeted approach to alleviating poverty

At the closure of the Central Economic Work Meeting on December 11， 2014， the central leadership floated the idea of a targeted approach to alleviating poverty. On June 18， 2015， during his visit to Guizhou Province， Chinese President Xi Jinping once more raised the subject， which he believes will determine the success of the poverty alleviation drive. It has subsequently become a hot topic among the general public. In its Proposal for Formulating the 13th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development， released in November 2015， the 18th CPC Central Committee specified targeted measures to be taken in the coming five years.

Targeted efforts are designed to ensure that average income statistics would not eclipse the true living conditions of many in hardship. Such efforts require attention to detail. Greater emphasis will be laid upon identifying low-income groups in need of assistance， so that they will receive due attention and their basic standard of living will be guaranteed.

The central leadership proposed such a targeted approach at a time when China faces a daunting challenge in its efforts to eliminate the final pockets of poverty across the country. To ensure that poverty reduction efforts are fully effective， Xi called for policies and programs of assistance to be tailored for the needs of individual families in conjunction with targeted funding and village-specific expert support， and to be pursued with a results-oriented focus.