China’s parliament votes on the state reform plan and the new government

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s legislature will vote in the coming days on a plan to reform institutions under the State Council, or cabinet, and decide on a new cabinet line-up for the next five years, including a new prime minister. Saturday’s agenda was shown.

The National People’s Congress will also review a series of reports, including the prime minister’s current government work report, said Wang Zhao, spokesman for the parliament, at a press conference.

Draft amendments to the country’s legislative act – which governs how laws are made – is also on the agenda for the meeting, which is set to start on Sunday.

In the latter half of the National People’s Congress, which runs until March 13, nearly 3,000 members of the largely ratified parliament will elect and endorse a new lineup of senior government officials. Xi Jinping is widely expected to secure his third five-year term as president when lawmakers vote on March 10.

He renewed calls this week for an “intensive” reorganization of state entities and the Communist Party, adding that part of the reform plan related to state institutions will be presented to parliament.

Lawmakers are also scheduled to vote on the State Council’s institutional reform plan on March 10.

The call for institutional reforms comes after China’s economy grew by 3% last year – one of its weakest rates in nearly half a century – weakened by tough COVID-19 restrictions that Xi backed and were lifted in December.

On Sunday, the government work report set to be delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the start of parliament will reveal the official economic growth target for 2023, among many other social and economic goals.

Sources told Reuters this week that the GDP target could be as high as 6%, compared to the 4.5%-5.5% range proposed in November.

New Premiere

Parliament will decide on the new prime minister for the next five years on March 11. A day later, he will decide on a new group of deputy prime ministers, state councilors and ministers, as well as the governor of the People’s Bank of China.

Among the amendments to China’s legislative law slated for review at the meeting is a proposal that would allow the NPC Standing Committee to issue laws in an “emergency” state after a single revision.

The committee, which enacts and amends laws when parliament is not in session, voted in June 2020 to adopt landmark laws on national security in Hong Kong. This legislation was put to a vote after two rounds of deliberations.

Lawmakers will vote on the bill amendments to the legislative act on March 13.

(Reporting by Liz Lee and Ryan Wu) Editing by Himani Sarkar and William Mallard

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