Previewing the top economic, social issues planned for annual political sessions
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E-mail Xinhua, March 4, 2016
Reducing over-capacity, levers and costs, and the championing of innovation all feature heavily in the supply-side reform drive that was put forward in January to address economic challenges.
However, despite the drop, China's GDP growth remains high, taking into consideration of its US$10-trillion plus base.
The two sessions come as China is striving to achieve its 2020 target of "building a moderately prosperous society in all respects," and policies relating to the next major development blueprint, the 13th Five-year Plan (2016-2020).
The building of a moderately prosperous society is part of the government's Two Centennial Goals: to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020, and build a socialist modernized country by the middle of the 21th century.
Public wellbeing
The proposal for the 13th Five-year Plan will be submitted to the legislature for deliberation before it is formalized.
In a bid to achieve the goals outlined in the plan, public wellbeing will feature heavily throughout the two sessions, especially poverty relief.
Although China has experienced almost four decades of breakneck economic growth, over 70 million people remain under the poverty line. Improving the lives of this section of society, which is key to building a moderately prosperous society, has been identified as a priority work by Chinese leaders.
Subsequently, during the two sessions, legislators and political advisors will put forward motions and proposals for poverty relief. Even those who are not so economically challenged face difficulties, such as health care, education and housing. As policies on these issues have been included in past government work reports, more are expected.
The two sessions will also see the formalization and implementation of a series of new concepts put forward by the central authorities, such as the five development ideas put forward in the CPC's 13th Five-year Plan proposal.
These core ideas are innovation, coordination, green, opening up and sharing. It expected that they will underpin much of the policies, bills and measures delivered in the sessions.
Supply-side reform, the "Four Comprehensives," and the economy's "New Normal" will also feature prominently.
Following major military reform last year, which included the restructuring of the military command system and the inauguration of new commands and forces, there will be new faces among the deputies and political advisors. It is hoped that their fresh ideas will inject new energy into military reform.
President Xi Jinping last year announced that China would reduce the military by 300,000 service people, and jettison non-combat functions such as art troupes.
China's military budget this year, and how it will allocate money to the reorganization of the military, will also be discussed during the two sessions.
