[Two Sessions Highlights]Hong Kong media exploded the real reason for the shortening of the session period. Experts point out what Beijing executives are most afraid of | Xi Jinping | Li Keqiang |

[Voice of Hope, March 10, 2022](Comprehensive report by our reporter He Jingtian)On March 10, the six-day CPPCC meeting ended today, and the CPPCC meeting will also end tomorrow. The total duration of the meeting is only seven days, setting a record for the shortest duration of the two sessions. In this regard, Hong Kong Ming Pao commented that, as a politically sensitive year in 2022, shortening the meeting period may not want to “take the show” with the 20th National Congress; Liu Ruishao, a current affairs commentator familiar with Chinese politics, believes that this reflects the CCP leaders’ fear of losing control. Long discussions can be difficult to control.

CCP’s two sessions draw to a close

The CPPCC meeting will end on March 10, and the NPC meeting will also end on March 11. This year, the two sessions of the CPC have set a record for the shortest duration.

Hong Kong’s “Ming Pao” published an opinion article signed “Sun Jiaye” on March 10, saying that there are signs that the two sessions of the CCP are becoming more and more stylized and are gradually losing the best window to observe the politics of Zhongnanhai.

The article said that the speeches of the top leaders of the Communist Party of China are one of the focuses of the annual two sessions. During the past two sessions, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang and others have to attend the meetings of 6 or 7 people’s congress delegations or subsectors or joint groups of the CPPCC respectively. In the two sessions after the CCP virus epidemic, Xi had to be dropped four times each time, but this year only three times. In addition to the vice premier in charge of Hong Kong and Macau affairs, Han Zheng, who was also dismissed four times (one for each of the Hong Kong and Macau delegations), Wang Yang, the chairman of the CPPCC, was dismissed three times, and the other four Politburo Standing Committee members (including Li Keqiang) were only dismissed twice.

In addition, during the two sessions in the past, there were various press conferences. In addition to the pre-conference press conference of the spokesperson of the conference and the post-conference press conference of the Prime Minister, there were also special press conferences for the foreign minister, the director of the National Development and Reform Commission, the governor of the central bank, and the minister of commerce; Since the outbreak of the CCP virus, only three press conferences have been held before the meeting, after the meeting and the foreign minister.

The article analyzed that the ultra-short period of the two sessions this year may be related to the politically sensitive year held by the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The authorities do not want the two sessions to shift the focus or “steal the show” before the 20th National Congress. And as leaders grow older, too long sessions overwhelm them. Since last year, there have been embarrassing incidents of leaders fainting on the stage in Inner Mongolia and Chongqing, and the scene of Tung Chee-hwa’s fall on the rostrum at the opening of the National People’s Congress last year is also impressive.

China expert: CCP leaders fear losing control

The French Broadcasting Corporation reported on March 10 that Liu Ruishao, a current affairs commentator familiar with Chinese affairs, pointed out that the session of the two sessions was recorded to be short, mainly because there were not too many matters to be discussed, and the top officials of the CCP were also worried that the more discussions, the more difficult it would be to control. And this “worry about losing control” mentality is not only true during the two sessions, but also reflected in the election of Hong Kong’s chief executive.

Liu Ruishao said that the CCP’s control mentality is also reflected in the decreasing amount of public information. For example, the annex to this year’s government work report no longer announces the amount and budget involved in the armed police and stability maintenance expenses. It is not public, and judging from the fact that the military budget has increased by about 7.1% compared with last year, it obviously does not include the cost of the armed police.

On the morning of March 10, at the closing ceremony of the CPPCC meeting, with 1,965 votes in favor, 0 votes against, 2 abstentions, and 2 people did not vote, the CPPCC Chairman Wang Yang’s work report of the CPPCC Standing Committee was passed.

Responsible editor: Lin Li

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