Deputies to the Third Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) from southwest China's Yunnan Province arrive in Beijing, capital of China, March 2, 2010. The Third Session of the 11th NPC is scheduled to open on March 5. (Xinhua/Yang Zongyou)
--As the annual plenary sessions of China's National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) convene this week, the international community is watching China.
The CPPCC convenes today and the NPC convenes on Friday.
China achieved substantial economic growth in 2009 when most other economies were suffering in the global financial crisis and economic downturn.
But, what kind of answer sheet will China present in the year 2010?
Deputies to the Third Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) from south China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) arrive in Beijing, capital of China, March 2, 2010. The Third Session of the 11th NPC is scheduled to open on March 5. (Xinhua/Liu Weibinga)
So far, thousands of journalists and reporters from all over the world have arrived in Beijing to cover the sessions, hoping to seek clues and insight into the political life and economic prospects of China through the two important meetings.
Several Western media and think tanks, such as The Choice magazine of Japan, have commented that although the Chinese economy has seen remarkable recovery, China still faces various challenges including trade disputes and inflation.
Democratic process
The international community is also paying attention to changes in China's political and democratic process to take place during the sessions. A draft amendment to the Electoral Law is to be presented to NPC deputies for approval. It requires that both rural and urban areas adopt the same ratio of deputies to the legislatures.
As a result, Chinese rural and urban people are about to get equal representation in lawmaking bodies, meaning farmers will have the same say in the country's decision-making process as urbanites.
Deputies to the Third Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) from northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region arrive in Beijing, capital of China, March 2, 2010. The Third Session of the 11th NPC is scheduled to open on March 5. (Xinhua/Liu Quanlong)
The annual parliamentary sessions are a window into China's social and economic development, and policy signals from the sessions will play a significant role in shaping China's development.
Just as former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin put it, China's stability and development benefits the world.
At present, the global economic recovery has not yet stabilized and the developed countries have yet to emerge from the economic downturn, so China's policy orientation evident during the parliamentary sessions will be watched from all over the globe.
Dominique Strausse-Kahn, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, once said that it was beyond all doubt that China would continue to play a vital role in boosting international and regional economic recovery.