DELEGATES DRESSED in national costume or military uniform are arriving at the airport and train stations for the annual National People’s Congress in Beijing. The giant red stars have been hung in the Great Hall of the People, and the traditional crackdown on dissidents has begun.
The congress may be China’s chief legislative body, but it effectively acts as a rubber stamp parliament, approving laws hammered out in secret by the ruling Communist Party’s elite.
However, the congress does offer some insights into the thinking of the leadership. During the 10 days of meetings, which run alongside those of the advisory body – the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) – it is possible to get a sense of what the Beijing leaders see as the main issues. Among topics for debate during the legislative session will be burgeoning property prices in many Chinese cities, as well as laws on protecting state secrets.
Nearly three quarters of the delegates are Communist Party members, with the remainder coming from the military or other branches of government, and all delegates are approved by the ruling powers. The sessions are characterised by lengthy applause for proposals, and generally unanimous approval for any Bills proposed. But behind the feverish clapping of hands, there is much information to be gleaned.
This year’s event, for example, could give indications about the direction of economic policy-making this year, and maybe give an idea what the government thinks about the exchange rate – China’s cheap exports on the back of what appears to be an undervalued currency have riled the EU and US alike.
Also, there could be controversy since the government has named the Panchen Lama, the young man controversially enthroned by Beijing as the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, as a delegate to the CPPCC.
It will also be interesting to see if there is a response to growing pressure from below for change. Yesterday, in a daring act of defiance, 13 newspapers printed an editorial calling for changes in the “hukou” household registration system. Introduced during the era of Mao Zedong, the system identifies each Chinese citizen as urban or rural, and was used to control urban migration.
It has been relaxed somewhat in recent years as farmers flock to the cities looking for work, but the editorials pointed out how the system limits rural migrant workers’ access to services in China’s more prosperous cities.
“China has been tasting the bitterness of the household registration system for a long time!” the editorial ran. “Freedom of movement is a human right.”
On the personnel front, there is a lot of speculation about Bo Xilai, one of the Communist Party “princelings” as a revolutionary leader’s son, who is party boss in Chongqing. Mr Bo is hugely popular for his crackdown on organised crime in Chongqing, and there is speculation he may transform this popular acclaim into a seat in the inner circle of the Communist Party.
The security forces will also carry out their annual crackdown on all forms of dissent, with particular attention being paid to the petitioners who come to the capital to air grievances.
For a number of years now anyone with a petition for the government has been kept far away from Tiananmen Square, where the congress takes place.
Some 700,000 police officers, security guards and volunteers will create a human “moat” across Beijing for security during the national congress.
China-watchers will also be waiting to see whether there are any more concrete indications that vice-president Xi Jinping will take over from President Hu Jintao in 2012. Vice-premier Li Keqiang is expected to succeed premier Wen Jiabao then.
