BEIJING, March 5. /TASS/. The first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC, the country's parliament) will kick off on Sunday at the Great Hall of the People on the west side of Tiananmen Square in downtown Beijing. It will end on March 13.

The opening ceremony will begin at 09:00 local time (04:00 Moscow time).

Session delegates

There are 2,977 delegates to this year's session. Many local and foreign observers noted that women make up 26.54% (790) of them, which is 1.64 percentage points higher than in the previous convocation and is a historic high.

By comparison, women held only 637 of the 2,987 seats in the 2008 parliament, which is about 21.3%.

Agenda

The delegates will hear and discuss a report by Premier Li Keqiang on the work of the Chinese State Council and the implementation of the central and local budgets in 2022, as well as reports on the work of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Supreme People's Court.

The lawmakers will also hear a report on the implementation of the socio-economic development plan for the past period, outline key areas for the country's development and adopt the budget for 2023.

Supporting economy

The Chinese economy is listed among the most important topics of the session. China's GDP growth fell to 3% in 2022, well below the target of "about 5.5%" and among the lowest in 50 years. According to experts, this was caused by the negative effects of the anti-commodity restrictions and a series of lockdowns in major cities and industrial centers of the country.

During his latest report, China's current Premier of the State Council, Li Keqiang, is expected to outline China's GDP growth target for 2023. As the Chinese media revealed, the figure is expected to be about 5.5%. Some experts do not rule out that it may be higher to make up for the lag from the target values for the five-year period.

In addition, foreign experts expect a "rebound effect" from the low base of 2022. Against the backdrop of the cancellation of anti-COVID measures last year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had already improved its forecast for Chinese GDP growth this year to 5.2%. The new estimate was 0.8 percentage points higher than the previous forecast made in October.

On the eve of the session, the country's top leaders said that the authorities intended to carry out reforms in the financial sector, as well as in the technology sector in order to accelerate socio-economic development.

State Council reform and amendments

Wang Chao, the spokesman for the National People's Congress session, said at a press conference on Saturday that parliamentarians would also consider a draft reform of the Chinese State Council.

It is expected to echo the draft reform of party and state bodies adopted at the second plenum of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in late February. The reform involves strengthening the Communist Party of China's "centralized leadership" and improving the efficiency of the state apparatus.

In addition, parliamentarians are to consider a draft amendment to the Legislation Law. This law describes the distinctions in lawmaking by various state institutions, as well as the legislative process.

The National People's Congress Standing Committee held two readings of the amendment in last October and December. As Wang Chao noted, the new version of the law should ensure that the lawmaking process reflected the expectations of all sectors of the public.

Military budget

Every year, the volume of the military budget announced at the opening session of the parliament attracts much attention from foreign observers. As a spokesman for the session explained the day before, China's increase in defense spending is dictated by "the need to respond to complex security challenges". He also added that the share of the military budget in China's GDP is below the global average, and the modernization of China's People's Liberation Army is not directed against third countries.

In 2022, China increased defense spending by 7.1% to 1.451 trillion yuan (about $229.07 billion at the time of publication). At the same time, foreign experts, including the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), believe that China's real defense spending may be 25-50% higher. Much of it may be hidden in the regional authorities' budgets, dual-purpose R&D programs, as well as in other budgets.

Personnel reshuffle

The first session of China’s highest deliberative body, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) of the 14th convocation, kicked off in Beijing the day before. This year's sessions of the CPPCC and the National People's Congress have received special attention as they follow the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China held in October. In addition, the sessions will see a reshuffle of the country's top leadership.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will turn 70 in June, is expected to be re-elected for an unprecedented third five-year term. This became possible after amendments to the Chinese constitution in 2018: the same person can now serve as head of state an unlimited number of times.

The sessions will also result in the election of the Chinese vice-president. In addition, candidates for the position of head of government, the Premier of the State Council, will be approved. Chairmen of the CPPCC and the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress will be elected as well. The delegates will also approve candidates for deputy prime ministers, members of the State Council, ministers, the chairman of the People's Bank of China (central bank), the leaders of the Central Military Commission, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

New Premier

According to the Chinese Constitution, the current Premier of the State Council, Li Keqiang, 67, is to step down as his last, second five-year term in office expires in March. Li Qiang, 63, a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee and former Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai, is expected to take over as head of government.

Zhao Leji, 65, the third highest ranking member of the PCCP Politburo Standing Committee after Xi Jinping and Li Qiang, is likely to head the Chinese parliament as Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee. At the same time, one of the CCP's leading ideologues, Wang Huning, 67, is likely to become the CPPCC chairman.

All four deputy heads of the Chinese government are expected to leave their seats at the end of the session. Ding Xuexiang, 60, a member of the Politburo and head of the CPC Central Committee’s Secretariat, is considered one of the most likely candidates for the position of the First Vice Premier. He Lifeng, 68, head of the National Development and Reform Committee, is considered to be in the lead in the race for Vice Premier in charge of the financial and economic bloc.

Xi Jinping is also expected to be elected during the session as Chairman of China's Central Military Commission, and his deputies will be General Zhang Youxia, 72, who had already held this post, and General He Weidong, 65. General Li Shangfu, 65, is considered one of the most likely candidates for the post of China's Defense Minister.

Enhanced security measures

During the session, key highways, central Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People are guarded by reinforced police cordons. In addition, numerous volunteers with red armbands on their sleeves help keep order. Armed people's militia are on duty at subway stations, and riot police and armored cars can be seen near important government offices.

Municipal authorities have banned the launching of drones and other small aircraft in the city. In addition, vehicles carrying highly toxic and explosive materials are temporarily restricted from entering Beijing, and the post office has warned residents that all parcels will be double-checked.

Although China lifted the strict anti-COVID measures and mass testing that had been in place since the beginning of the pandemic late last year, all reporters covering the National People's Congress session must undergo quarantine and submit to coronavirus tests.