Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
already been made over the year by the NPC Standing Committee and the Politburo, and
the meeting on the whole simply serves to ratify those decisions.
The congress is held every March in the magnificent Great Hall of the People beside
Tian'anmen Square, and it coincides with the Chinese People's Political Consultative Con-
ference (CPPCC). Both the NPC and the CPPCC are often referred to as the Two Meet-
ings. While neither meeting truly has much independent power, together they create a media
frenzy. The Two Meetings provide forums where China's current concerns and plans can be
put forth, as well as an opportunity with which to try to groom public opinion.
The NPC's leading man is the president (Xi Jinping), and though this position is more
ceremonial than functional, he can appoint the head of the State Council (or the State
Government). This is where all the ministers and ministries reside. The head of the State
Council is the premier, and since March 2013 this has been Li Keqiang.
How do the premier and the State Council fit into the political structure? Well, while it's
the party that issues the directives for how they want the country to be modified as per party
ideals, it's the responsibility of the State Council to make sure these turn into a reality. It's
the State Council that creates the actual working laws and administers and enforces them.
It covers everything from the environment and housing to banking and finance. Of course,
the State Council must answer to the party, but as the premier is also the number three man
on the Politburo Standing Committee, it's potentially a fairly tight relationship.
For now China's political system is still highly controlled and socialist. Figures such as
former president Wen Jiabao have pledged to allow more democracy and pluralism into the
mechanisms of society, but with censorship and a highly government-controlled legal sys-
tem, progress here as yet remains limited. Where Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang will take China
in the next five years, we're just beginning to see.
For the last 30 years, China has been one of the world's fastest growing economies, aver-
aging at about 10 percent growth per year. Of course, this staggering figure can't be dis-
cussed without mentioning Deng Xiaoping, who, against great resistance, managed to trans-
form the country out of near devastation to one that was highly productive, organized, and
market-driven.
