Summary of the 5 key points of the 2023 National Congress of the People’s Republic of China

Annual Meeting of the Second Congress of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in beijing It ended on Monday, March 13, 2023, after the big news was announced. and confirmed the appointment of many important officials Including the new Prime Minister over the past 10 days, which can be summarized in 5 important topics as follows

Nearly 3,000 Chinese state members unanimously voted to elect Xi Jinping for a third term as the country’s president, an unprecedented term. He was elected secretary-general of the Communist Party for another five years at the party’s general congress last October. making him the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong.

Mr. Xi was also voted unanimously. to serve as chairman of the 3rd Chinese Armed Forces Committee

Analysts think In his third term as president, Xi will try to further centralize power under the Communist Party. while businesses including government agencies may be more controlled by the Communist Party

Assistant Professor Chong Ja Yan from the Faculty of State Science At the National University of Singapore, Xi is expected to face challenges from the United States. frankly by competing to expand power around the world and pressure on Taiwan and US allies in the region

Assistant Professor Benjamin Ho of Nanyang University of Technology also sees the challenges in international relations under Xi’s third rule. China will face a more hostile world. Especially from the West which he must find a way to connect the broken relationship At the same time, domestic support must also be added.

Professor Henry Gao of the Yong Pung How College of Law in Singapore expects to see a crackdown on the financial sector. And it is an effort to raise the level of technology development of the country even more. to reduce dependence on foreign technology The restructuring of the federal government was also an important development at the meeting.

National People’s Congress Also voted overwhelmingly to elect Li Qiang, former Communist Party leader in Shanghai. Become the country’s new prime minister in 10 years, replacing Mr. Li Keqiang who has been in office for two years and has no further term extension.

Li Qiang was seen as loyal to Xi. Jinping for more than 20 years when living in Shanghai He urged local Shanghai officials to respond quickly to the needs of companies. to raise awareness of the local economy

Li was also seen as the most business-minded politician among Xi’s inner circle. He is believed to be behind many policies and changes. Including the decision to end the policy to make COVID zero at the end of last year.

Prof. Gao believes that although Li is loyal to Xi Jinping, he is a more pragmatic executive. Prof. Chong believes that Mr. Li will enforce various policies. According to Mr Si Khayana’s order, Asst. Prof. Ho said it was too early to determine whether What kind of Prime Minister is Mr. Li?

Mr Li held his first press conference as prime minister on Monday, March 13, 2023, where he sought to reassure the private sector. Indicates that the business environment will improve. And will treat all companies equally, regardless of who owns them. But he also warned that There are many challenges to the economy. and attacked the United States trying to offend China instead of cooperating

“China and the United States should cooperate and must cooperate When China and the United States work together, there are many things we can achieve,” Li said.

Xi Jinping attacks the United States directly, which does not occur often At the March 7 annual meeting, the United States was leading, controlling, encircling and persecuting China, posing unprecedented serious challenges to the country’s technological development. Ready to call on the private sector to promote the creation of new innovations. and become more self-reliant

In the past, technological ambitions have faced many restrictions from the United States. and western allies As a result, China has had to reduce imports of equipment for sectors critical to national security like semiconductor chip and artificial intelligence

Prof. Gao said China could take a more confrontational approach after this, as he said at the forum that everyone had the courage to struggle.

On the other hand, China’s foreign ministry has warned ASEAN nations that Do not interfere in any power struggle. between the US and China; the US Indo-Pacific Strategy; is trying to create a monopoly that will hurt the interests of countries in the region in the term Efforts to encircle China will fail. and will only lead to impacts on ASEAN

China announced a 7.2 percent increase in its defense budget to 1.55 trillion yuan ($255 billion), higher than the previous year’s increase of 7.1 percent, with the military increasing combat training under different scenarios. and increase readiness for battle in all aspects As external efforts to squeeze and control China are on the rise.

China is the world’s second-highest spender on the military, but still doesn’t compare with the No. 1 like the United States, which has spent more than $800 billion this year on the military. believe China spends much more than announced.

Asst. Prof. Chong said The budget figure shows steady growth. But Mr. Li Keqiang’s words, due to external threats coupled with harsh remarks about the United States From Mr. Xi and Mr. Qin Gang, Minister of Foreign Affairs It is pointing to the desire to increase China’s ability to deploy its military.

while Asst. Prof. Ho said A strong defense budget signals that China will not compromise. and will use their military strength as the foundation for their relationship with their outer image.

Prof Gao said An increase in military spending may be related to Taiwan. which Mr. Xi reiterated at the meeting that China must oppose the activities of separatists and independence advocates. and the intervention of external forces in Taiwan.

The Chinese government has set a 2023 economic growth target of around 5 percent, the lowest figure since 1991, after the country’s economy grew just 3 percent last year, missing the 5.5 percent target due to the impact. affected by strict COVID-19 control measures, including the real estate crisis

Analysts think The target is in line with the global economic slowdown. It shows caution in moving away from zero-covid measures, acknowledging the need to adapt to an economy that is about to mature. and pressure from competition with the United States.

Prof. Gao said Although the period of China’s double-digit growth is over, but at the same time China is still trying to maintain growth and focus on quality over quantity of growth.