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Chinese parliamentary sessions 2014

Chinese parliamentary sessions 2014
The annual Chinese "lianghui" of 2014, or plenary meetings of China's top legislative and consultative bodies, the National People's Congress and the National People's Consultative Conference, will take place in Beijing in early to mid-March. The NPC sessions are scheduled to begin on March 5, and the CPPCC meetings to commence on March 3.

Censors were at WeChat offices before crackdown on accounts

Censors were stationed for a week at the offices of Tencent's popular social media service WeChat before dozens of prominent accounts were closed or suspended, a source has said.

Premier Li Keqiang delivers a healthy dose of realism

Tencent

Fresh China media crackdown hits popular accounts on Tencent's WeChat

We will keep tighter rein on debt and shadow banking, Li Keqiang says

Beijing is tightening scrutiny of government debt and the shadow banking system to contain risk, Premier Li Keqiang said yesterday. He said Beijing had been "highly attentive" to financial and debt risks, and set a timetable for implementing rules to stop banks overexpanding.

China's Premier Li Keqiang said the debt level was "generally controllable", but the rising trend should not be overlooked. Photo: AP

Company registrations at 10-year high as Beijing reduces red tape

Registrations of private companies rose 30 per cent from a year earlier, indicating that "cutting red tape and delegating power were powerful tools to boost the market's vitality and social creativity", Premier Li Keqiang said yesterday.

Premier breezes through journalists’ tame questions at close of NPC

Li Keqiang breezed through a tame and uneventful press conference, thanks largely to the absence of the uncomfortable questions often foisted on his predecessors.

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China and US can overcome frictions with co-operation, says Li Keqiang

Ties between China and the US would remain strong as long as both sides kept the focus on their common interests instead of the differences, Premier Li Keqiang has said.

Li Keqiang speaks at the press conference.

New | Beijing 'will do everything' to maintain Hong Kong's economic might, Li vows

Focus

Update | GDP growth target flexible as jobs take priority, says Premier Li Keqiang

The official economic growth target will be flexible as long as it can ensure stable jobs, Premier Li Keqiang told an international audience in the clearest message to date by a top leader about the nation's willingness to tolerate slower growth.

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Premier’s plan for government policy wins approval as NPC draws to a close

Most of the National People's Congress - dominated by the Communist Party and described by critics as a rubber stamp parliament - usually vote overwhelmingly in favour of Beijing's policies. But analysts said the administration was still enjoying its "honeymoon period".

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Lawmakers depart following the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress in Beijing. Photo: AP
Zhou Yongkang

Li Keqiang not asked about Zhou Yongkang case, after reporters warned

Premier Li Keqiang was not asked about the graft investigation into former security tsar Zhou Yongkang after reporters were warned against raising the subject.

Li Keqiang not asked about Zhou Yongkang case, after reporters warned

Update | "The central government's policy … is consistent and clear-cut. It will continue to support Hong Kong"

Premier Li Keqiang promised continued support for Hong Kong amid "comprehensive deepening" of reforms on the mainland, but he evaded questions about the city's electoral reform and autonomy.

New anti-terror laws must protect human right, say legal experts

Attempts to introduce anti-terrorism laws could create further problems if they fail to define the powers of various enforcement agencies or strike a balance between battling extremism and protecting civil rights, legal experts say.

China pollution

Pollution a greater concern for delegates to annual CPPCC session

The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) concluded its annual plenum in Beijing yesterday. The 10-day meeting saw members submit 5,875 proposals, of which 4,982 were formally accepted, the committee said.

Delegates want more environmental protection. Photo: Simon Song

Communist Party watchdogs to get their own watchers

Wang Qishan , the secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and a member of the supreme Politburo Standing Committee, vowed "zero tolerance" for ethical violations and abuse by the watchdog's inspectors.

Anti-graft boss Wang Qishan, shown here on March 5, vowed "zero tolerance" for bad agents. Photo: AFP

Tougher laws for human trafficking proposal unites Hong Kong's NPC deputies

The 36 local deputies to the National People's Congress tabled an amendment that would raise the penalty for buyers of children to 10 years in jail.

Disgruntled delegates urge party to give CPPCC more teeth

A group of academics with the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) have openly criticised the "weak" role of the advisory body, which they said had become a mere accessory to the National People's Congress.

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A nod to grief, then back to business: NPC refuses to be distracted by Malaysia Airlines and Kunming disasters

Apart from a minute's silence at the start of the National People's Congress (NPC) for victims of the deadly March 1 attack at Kunming's main train station, everything has been business as usual at the once-a-year parliamentary meeting in Beijing.

The third plenary meeting of the second session of China's 12th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua
Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign

Fighting corruption and terrorism top priorities of China's judiciary

The number of terrorism attacks has increased in recent years. In the latest incident, on March 1, a group of knife-wielding assailants staged a bloody attack in Kunming railway station, leaving 29 civilians dead and 143 injured.

National People's Congress Briefs, March 10, 2014

A Tibet standing committee member said the Kunming railway attack would not affect the autonomous region and sought to emphasise stability there - despite a track record of unrest and self-immolations against Chinese rule.

My Take | China's parliament a billionaires' club

Where in the world of politics would you find the greatest concentration of billionaires? Looking at the annual Hurun list of China's richest people, a good start may be with the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which opened their annual meetings last week.

China's parliament a billionaires' club
China pollution

Pollution and food safety to top legal agenda this year, Zhang Dejiang tells NPC delegates

National People's Congress (NPC) Chairman Zhang Dejiang vowed to push forward legislation in areas of key public concern, including pollution and oversight of officials' conduct.

Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, delivers his work report. Photo: Xinhua

China's war against excess evident in no-frills national gatherings

Signs that the central government's fight against excess is in full force were evident at this year's toned-down parliamentary meetings. Some delegates were asked by organisers to bring their own toothbrushes, slippers and daily necessities instead of relying on hotels to provide them. Many delegations from the provinces and cities chose to forgo chartered flights and travelled by coach or train to Beijing.

Women in CPPCC and NPC say true sexual equality is elusive

The official UN theme for this year's International Women's Day is "equality for women is progress for all", but even China's most powerful women say they still have not shattered the glass ceiling.

China should allow more bond defaults, bank supervisor says

More companies should be allowed to default on their bonds, an external supervisor at the Bank of China said, a day after a solar-cell maker became the first to do so.

Mei Xingbao attends the CPPCC meeting. Photo: Xinhua

Sex with underage boys should be punished same as that with girls, deputy says

The Criminal Code currently treats sex with boys, whether consensual or not, as child molestation, which is punishable by up to five years in jail. Sex with a girl under the age of 14, or rape, carries a jail term of up to 10 years, unless severe violence or gang rape is involved.

Sex with underage boys should be punished same as that with girls, deputy says

National People's Congress Briefs, March 8, 2014

The mainland's top Taiwan affairs negotiator, Chen Deming, said he had "high hopes" for a suggestion that Xi Jinping and Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou meet at a "third-party venue" outside the mainland and Taiwan.

Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng says China must improve trade quality

While China was unsurpassed in the quantity of its trade, the nation must now improve the quality of its goods, Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said yesterday in Beijing, where the National People's Congress is holding its annual meeting.

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