China kicks off annual political season to discuss new missions

People’s Daily: China’s annual political season is underway with the commencement of the “two sessions” as the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) convened on last Saturday, and the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) which begins on Monday. 

The annual sessions of the top legislature and top political advisory body are among the most important political events for the country, during which major tasks for the year are arranged. 

The People’s Congress system is the fundamental political system of China. According to the Constitution, the National People’s Congress and the local people’s congresses at various levels are the organs through which the people exercise state power. 

The National People’s Congress and the local people’s congresses at various levels are constituted through democratic elections. They are responsible to the people and subject to their supervision. This year, a total of 2,980 deputies to the 13th NPC were elected from 35 electoral units across the country.

The National People’s Congress is the highest organ of state power. Its permanent body is the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. The National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee exercise the legislative power of the State.

The State Council is responsible to and reports its work to the National People’s Congress or, when the National People’s Congress is not in session, to its Standing Committee, China’s Constitution states. The CPPCC is an organisation in the patriotic united front of the Chinese people, serving as an important organ for multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and an important means of promoting socialist democracy in China’s political activities.The main functions of the CPPCC are to conduct political consultation, exercise democratic supervision and participate in the discussion and the handling of state affairs. CPPCC members are selected through consultation and recommendation.

The system of the multi-party cooperation and political consultation led by the CPC will exist and develop for a long time to come, according to the Constitution. 

Having a broad social basis, the CPPCC consists of representatives of the CPC and non-Communist parties, personages without party affiliation, and representatives of people’s organizations, ethnic minorities and various social strata. 

It also counts as members representatives of compatriots of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan, returned overseas Chinese, and specially invited people. The 13th CPPCC National Committee has 2,158 members coming from all walks of life.

The 19th National Congress of the CPC held last October set Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guiding thought that must be upheld long term by all Party members.

The Congress also drew a grand picture for securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and moving on to all-out efforts to build a great modern socialist country. 

As 2018 is the first year to comprehensively implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress, this year’s annual “two sessions” are of great significance. 

This year also marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up, and a key year to secure a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and carry forward the 13th Five-Year Plan, the country’s economic and social roadmap for 2016 to 2020.

New leadership of state organisations and the CPPCC Central Committee will be elected during the “two sessions”. During the sessions of the 13th NPC, deputies will pledge allegiance to the Constitution, and new amendments to the Constitution will be discussed and reviewed at the first plenary session of the 13th NPC on March 5, providing strong constitutional support to a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The first plenary session of the 13th NPC will also discuss and review the draft of the National Supervision Law, realizing national anti-corruption legislation. In addition, reform of state institutions and goals for China’s economic and social development are also important issues on the agenda of the “two sessions”.

China defends hike in military spending as proportionate and low

BEIJING (Reuters): China’s increase in military spending for 2018, the biggest rise in three years, was proportionate and low, and Beijing had not been goaded into an arms race with the United States, state media said on Tuesday.

China on Monday unveiled an 8.1% rise in defence spending at the opening of parliament, fuelling an ambitious military modernisation programme and making its neighbours, particularly Japan and self-ruled Taiwan, nervous.

In an editorial, the official China Daily said the figure had prompted “finger-pointing from the usual suspects”.

“China’s defence budget is neither the largest in size – it accounts for just one-fourth of the military spending of the United States – nor does it have the fastest growth rate,” the English-language newspaper said.

“And if calculated in per capita terms, China’s military lags well behind other major countries.”

The defence spending figure is closely watched worldwide for clues to China’s strategic intentions as it develops new military capabilities, including stealth fighters, aircraft carriers and anti-satellite missiles.

China insists its military spending is transparent and that it poses a threat to nobody, simply needing to update old equipment and defend its legitimate interests, even as it is increasingly assertive over disputes in the East and South China Seas and on self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims.

In the East and South China Seas, China is simply trying to stand up for itself, the China Daily said.

“The country has seen its maritime interests being increasingly infringed upon in recent years, and thus seeking a stronger military is natural for it to safeguard its interests and counter any threat that may materialise from the aggressive posturing of others upset by its rise.”

China has seen the United States as its biggest potential security threat, alarming Beijing with freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Sea the United States calling China a strategic competitor.

U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed the largest military budget since 2011, focused on beefing up the United States’ nuclear defences and countering the growing strength of China and Russia.Official Chinese defence spending is about one-quarter that of the United States, though many foreign analysts and diplomats say China under-reports the figure.

Widely-read Chinese tabloid the Global Times said if China really wanted to expand militarily, the defence budget should really be rising 20 to 30%.

“China has obviously not fallen into the mind-set of engaging in an arms race with the U.S. Otherwise it could totally realise double-digit increases in its defence expenditure,” the paper said in its editorial.

U.S. provocations in the South China Sea, tension in the Taiwan Strait and the United States, Japan, Australia and India forming alliances demand a rise in spending, it added.“But Beijing has stuck to its own template and was not disturbed by external factors.”

Still, China has made no secret of its broader military ambitions, with President Xi Jinping promising last year to make China’s armed forces world-class by the middle of the century.

Xu Qiliang, a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, which runs the armed forces and Xi heads, told military delegates to parliament that China needed to “fully strengthen troop training and war preparedness and raise the ability to win”, state news agency Xinhua said late on Monday.