2009 National People's Congress

Last updated
President Premier Congress Chairman
Hu Jintao Cannes2011.jpg Wu Bangguo Beijing2011.jpg
Hu Jintao Wen Jiabao Wu Bangguo
since
15 March 2003		 since
16 March 2003		 since
15 March 2003
Website
2009 NPC official website

The 2nd Session of the 11th National People's Congress is the annual meeting of the highest legislative body of the People's Republic of China, which was held in March 2009 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The event began on March 5 and lasted until March 13. [1] The Congress was followed closely because of the possible impact any policy changes would have on the Chinese and world economy. Major issues discussed at the Congress include the global financial crisis, industrial revitalization, curbing unemployment, and social welfare.

Contents

Highlights of the Congress included Premier Wen Jiabao's expression of confidence in the growth of China's economy in 2009, conciliatory remarks towards Taiwan from Beijing, NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo's reiteration that China will not adopt Western-style democracy, and Wen's expressed doubts about U.S. treasury securities. The main issues raised by delegates included a strategy to adopt to face the current economic slowdown, the ways to continue to improve population's life standards (jobs, health), and continue efforts against corruption.

Background

The 2009 NPC takes place alongside the 2009 session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a political advisory body with little practical power. In recent years, however, there has been a marked rise in the amount of debate within both bodies. This year's congress is especially important because it takes place in the backdrop of the ongoing global financial crisis, the first such crisis of this proportion China has faced since economic liberalization under Deng Xiaoping in 1978. A day prior to the Congress, the government announced a 14.9% increase in the Chinese defense budget, 3% less than the previous year. There was also speculation of the unveiling of another stimulus package, which affected trading on global stock markets on March 4. [2] The event's timeline was shortened this year because of the ongoing global financial crisis.

Agenda

The agenda for this year's NPC consisted of: [3]

Premier's Work Report

The Premier, Wen Jiabao, delivered the annual Government Work Report on March 5, 2009. This annual speech details the government's policy and legislative agenda for the past and coming year (roughly analogous to the State of the Union address and Throne Speeches in some other countries). While acknowledging the deepening financial crisis, Wen declared that China would aim for a GDP growth of 8% in the coming year. Wen revealed that the central government deficit hovers around 750 billion yuan ($US109.63 billion), 570 billion yuan more than last year. The total deficit will amount to 950 billion yuan ($US139 billion) as local governments plan to issue 200 billion yuan worth of government bonds. Although this is a relatively large deficit by Chinese standards, it only accounts for less than 3% of the GDP. [4]

Wen pointed to improvements in cross-strait relations between mainland China and Taiwan, and declared that the two sides have entered a "peaceful period". [5] He remarked that new agreements on economic cooperation will be signed in the coming year. To address reconstruction after the deadly Sichuan earthquake in May 2008, the central government will allocate 130 billion yuan to accelerate recovery in hard-hit areas in Sichuan province. In health care reform, Wen stressed that governments at all levels will allocate an additional 850 billion yuan in the next three years, including 331.8 billion yuan directly from the central government.

NPC Standing Committee Work Report

The Chair of the NPC, Wu Bangguo, delivered his report on the work of the National People's Congress over the past year. He spoke on the continuing reconstruction of the Sichuan earthquake and progress of relief work, and empathized with the victims. On the economy, he touched on the slowing economy due to the 2008 financial crisis, increased unemployment and risk to social stability if proper oversight is not increased in areas of food safety, standards and reporting. [6] [7]

The NPC standing committee chairman also stressed oversight of the economic stimulus package through the legislature, increased domestic consumption, and upgrading industry and competitiveness in this difficult economic period. [8]

Wu also stated China cannot indiscriminately copy western political concepts such as multi-party governance, separation of powers namely the executive, legislative and judicial branch, or turning the NPC into a bicameral system. [9] China's political reforms rest with improving and developing the socialist political system which includes the NPC. [10]

President of the Supreme People's Court Work Report

China's top judicial official, Wang Shengjun reported the continuing efforts to educate judges on judicial work ethic and root out corruption. [11] Wang mentioned judicial corruption severely undermined the credibility of the judicial system and led to social repercussions. [11]

A total of 712 judicial officials from courts throughout China were prosecuted for violations of the laws in 2008, Wang said. Out of the 712, 105 faced criminal prosecutions. [11] He indicated, in 2008, the Supreme People's Court dealt with over 10,000 cases, up nearly 30 percent from 2007. Local courts processed over 10 million cases, up nearly 11 percent. [12] [13]

Prosecutor General's Work Report

China's Prosecutor-General Cao Jianming stated the central government will step up the inspection of prisons, with more resources and surprise checks, to prevent inmates from being bullied or tortured. [14] The main points that came up from Cao's work report are: [15]

Cai acknowledge in 2008, the total number of arrest came up to 952,583 suspects for numerous crimes and 1,143,897 were prosecuted. This was an increase of 3.5 percent and 5.7 percent from the last year. [15]

Efforts against corruption

There were 33,546 cases relating to corruption, misconduct and violation on people's human rights investigated. This involved 41,179 people. The total prosecuted were 33,953 people involved in 26,684 such cases. Out of the total there were 17,594 serious corruption cases, 3,211 major cases of misconduct and violations on people's human rights, and 2,687 officials at all levels of public office. [15]

The prosecutor general also indicated 10,315 cases of commercial bribery committed by government officials were investigated. This involved a total sum of more than 2.1 billion yuan. [15]

Premier's press conference

On March 13 Premier Wen Jiabao held the annual NPC press conference to a gallery of domestic and international reporters. Wen remarked that the international financial crisis is an extraordinary situation. [16] China has over half of its estimated $2 trillion of foreign exchange holdings in United States Treasury securities and other U.S. government debt and Wen remarked, "We have lent a huge amount of money to the U.S. Of course we are concerned about the safety of our assets. To be honest, I am definitely a little worried." Wen asked the U.S. to "maintain its good credit, to honor its promises and to guarantee the safety of China’s assets". [17] In particular, Wen was confident that China's economy would continue to grow at a rate of 8% in 2009. [16] Wen played down speculation that the 1.18 trillion Yuan of central government stimulus is not completely directed to new investments, and that the government was ready to make new stimulus plans if need be in the future. [18] Wen also mentioned his aspiration to visit Taiwan.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wen Jiabao</span> Premier of China from 2003 to 2013

Wen Jiabao is a Chinese retired politician who served as the premier of China from 2003 to 2013. In his capacity as head of government, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy. From 2002 to 2012, he held membership in the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the country's de facto top power organ, where he was ranked third out of nine members and after general secretary Hu Jintao and Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wu Bangguo</span>

Wu Bangguo is a Chinese retired politician. Wu served as the second-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party from 2002 to 2012, and as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 to 2013.

The Shanghai clique, also referred to as the Shanghai gang, Jiang clique, or Jiang faction, refers to an informal group of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials who rose to prominence under former CCP General Secretary Jiang Zemin while he served as the party chief and mayor of Shanghai.

The 16th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held in Beijing between November 8 and 14, 2002. It was preceded by the 15th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. 2,114 delegates and 40 specially invited delegates attended this and elected a 356-member 16th CCP Central Committee, as well as a 121-member Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The Congress marked the nominal transition of power between Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, who replaced Jiang as General Secretary, and a newly expanded Politburo Standing Committee line-up. The institutional transition would be completed in state organs by the 2003 National People's Congress in March. Jiang, however, remained head of the Central Military Commission, therefore in practice, the power transition was not complete. The Party National Congress examined and adopted the amendment to the Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party proposed by the 15th CCP Central Committee, and decided to come into force as from the date of its adoption. An amendment to the Constitution was approved the Party National Congress, with Jiang Zemin's signature ideology of "Three Represents" written into it. This congress was succeeded by the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Li Keqiang</span> Politican and Former Premier of China

Li Keqiang was a Chinese economist and politician who served as the premier of the People's Republic of China from 2013 to 2023. He was also the second-ranked member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2012 to 2022. Li was a major part of the "fifth generation of Chinese leadership" along with Xi Jinping, the CCP general secretary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme People's Procuratorate</span> Chinese national legal agency

The Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China is the highest national agency responsible for legal prosecution and prosecutorial investigation in China. The SPP reports to the National People's Congress (NPC).

The 4th Session of the 10th National People's Congress was held in Beijing, China, in conjunction with the 2006 CPPCC. Many items were listed on the agenda for the two-week-long session of the National People's Congress. 2,937 delegates from every province, municipality, and Special Administrative Region were in attendance. The 2006 Session was chaired by Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo.

The 5th Session of the 10th National People's Congress held its annual meeting from March 5 to March 15, 2007 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, in conjunction with the 2007 CPPCC. Many items were listed on the agenda for the two-week-long session of the National People's Congress. 2,937 delegates from every province and municipality attended, along with representatives from the People's Liberation Army. Among the delegations were those from the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau and a delegation representing Taiwan. Details on the election of these delegations can be found on the main article on the National People's Congress. The 2007 Session was chaired by Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo, with the annual Government Report delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao. The 2007 Session also set the precedent of allowing foreign journalists to approach and interview any NPC members without restriction. All proposals and resolutions from the session for the first time were fully translated into English. The 2007 NPC formally approved the Property Law of the People's Republic of China which had been under discussion for the last several years. Shanghai party chief Chen Liangyu has been suspended and therefore did not participate in the NPC. However, Vice-Premier Huang Ju, who had been widely speculated in the Hong Kong media and Western sources to have fallen into political disgrace, though reported in the Chinese press as having been in bad health, made an appearance at the opening ceremonies on March 5. Huang genuinely appeared ill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party</span>

The 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held in Beijing, China, at the Great Hall of the People from 15 to 21 October 2007. Congress marked a significant shift in the political direction of the country as CCP General Secretary Hu Jintao solidified his position of leadership. Hu's signature policy doctrine, the Scientific Development Concept, which aimed to create a "Socialist Harmonious Society" through egalitarian wealth distribution and concern for the country's less well-off, was enshrined into the Party Constitution. It was succeeded by the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

The 16th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was in session from 2002 to 2007. It held seven plenary sessions. It was set in motion by the 16th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. The 15th Central Committee preceded it. It was followed by the 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

The 1st Session of the 11th National People's Congress held its annual meeting from March 5 to March 18, 2008 in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, in conjunction with the 2008 CPPCC.

Events in the year 2007 in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese economic stimulus program</span> Government Plan

The 2008–09 Chinese economic stimulus plan was a RMB¥ 4 trillion stimulus package aiming to minimize the impact of the financial crisis of 2007–2008 on the Chinese economy. It was announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China on 9 November 2008. The economic stimulus plan was seen as a success: While China's economic growth fell to almost 6% by the end of 2008, it had recovered to over 10% by in mid-2009. Critics of China's stimulus package have blamed it for causing a surge in Chinese debt since 2009, particularly among local governments and state-owned enterprises. The World Bank subsequently went on to recommend similar public works spending campaigns to western governments experiencing the effects of the financial crisis, but the US and EU instead decided to pursue long-term policies of quantitative easing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 National Games of China</span>

The 11th National Games of China were held in various cities in Shandong from October 16 to October 28, 2009. Represented were 33 sports, 43 disciplines and 362 events, including 4 winter sports which were held in Shenyang, Changchun and Qingdao between January and April 2009.

The 3rd Session of the 11th National People's Congress held its annual meeting in March 2010 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. The event opened on March 5 and concluded on March 14, 2010.

The 4th Session of the 11th National People's Congress held its annual meeting in March 2011 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. The event opened on 5 March and concluded on 14 March. The meeting was expected to approve the country's 12th Five Year Plan.

The 5th Session of the 11th National People's Congress held its annual meeting in March 2012 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. The event opened on 5 March and concluded on 14 March. Premier Wen Jiabao delivered his work report as Premier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chongqing model</span> Model of social and economic policies in Chongqing, China

The "Chongqing model" was a series of social and economic policies adopted in the Chinese megalopolis of Chongqing. It is most closely associated with Bo Xilai, who served as the city's Communist Party secretary from 2007 to 2012, though some policies were put in place by Bo's predecessors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National People's Congress</span> National legislature of the Peoples Republic of China

The National People's Congress (NPC) is the highest organ of state power of the People's Republic of China. The NPC is the only branch of government in China, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs from the State Council to the Supreme People's Court (SPC) are subservient to it. With 2,980 members in 2023, it is the largest legislative body in the world. The NPC is elected for a term of five years. It holds annual sessions every spring, usually lasting from 10 to 14 days, in the Great Hall of the People on the west side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

The 2013 National People's Congress held its annual meeting in March 2013 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. The session opened 5 March and concluded on 16 March, 2013 This was the Session in which major state positions were elected.

References

  1. ↑ "Top legislature to convene annual session on March 5 next year". Xinhua News Agency. December 27, 2008. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  2. ↑ "Yes, prime minister". The Economist. March 5, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  3. ↑ "Agenda of Second Session of 11th National People's Congress". Xinhua News Agency. March 4, 2009. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  4. ↑ Hongjiang, Wang (March 5, 2009). "Highlights of Premier Wen's gov't work report". Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  5. ↑ Chang, Emily (March 5, 2009). "China's economy, Taiwan top Wen's address". CNN . Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  6. ↑ "Highlights of NPC Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo's work report". Xinhua News Agency. March 9, 2009. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  7. ↑ "Top legislator: Milk scandal prompts Chinese parliament's revision of draft law". Xinhua News Agency. March 9, 2009. Archived from the original on March 13, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  8. ↑ "Chinese leaders: Crisis also means opportunity". People's Daily. March 8, 2009. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  9. ↑ "Top legislator: China will never copy Western political system". Xinhua News Agency. March 9, 2009. Archived from the original on March 13, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  10. ↑ "Top legislator stresses differences between Chinese, Western political systems". Xinhua News Agency. March 9, 2009. Archived from the original on March 13, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  11. 1 2 3 Yang, Fang (March 12, 2009). "China strives to weed out judicial corruption". Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  12. ↑ "Top judge, prosecutor-general deliver reports". China Daily. March 11, 2009. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  13. ↑ Zhe, Zhu (March 11, 2009). "Courts handle record number of cases in 2008". China Daily . Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  14. ↑ Chuanjiao, Xie (March 13, 2009). "Inspection of prisons to be intensified". China Daily . Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Highlights of report on Supreme People's Procuratorate". Xinhua News Agency. March 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  16. 1 2 McDonald, Joe (March 13, 2009). "China 'worried' about US Treasury holdings". Associated Press . Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  17. ↑ Wines, Michael (March 13, 2009). "China's Leader Says He Is 'Worried' Over U.S. Treasuries". The New York Times . Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  18. ↑ Demick, Barbara (March 14, 2009). "Chinese leader expresses concern about investments in U.S." Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2009-03-18.[ dead link ]
Preceded by Annual National People's Congress Sessions of the
People's Republic of China
March, 2009		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.