With China’s annual parliamentary session coming to an end, the Great Hall of the People in Beijing is packed with journalists vying to raise questions to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on March 15 in a media war.
The customary press conference given by the Premier, wrapping up the third session of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC), is inevitably the most-anticipated section during national lawmakers’ 10-day convention in the capital city, the most important political season every year.
Before the premier’s Question & Answer section, NPC deputies adopted six draft resolutions, including the government work report, and a revision to the Legislation Law at the closing meeting of the third session.
Premier Li delivered the government work report to nearly 3,000 NPC deputies on March 5, the opening day of the third session.
Economy-related topics are set to draw attention at the press conference as the government report lowered the annual GDP growth target to 7 percent this year, below the 7.5 percent goal that was narrowly missed in 2014.
Global media has made one of their major concerns the China’s defense budget, which, according to a budget report presented to the NPC, will rise 10.1 percent this year, the lowest growth in five years, and make China the second-largest military spender in the world following the US.
China’s anti-corruption glitz is set to be another headline-maker as both the government report and the Supreme People’s Court report vowed no slack momentum of the sweeping campaign, which has seen 28 officials at the provincial or ministerial level and higher placed under judicial investigation.