Explainer: What to expect from China's annual meeting of parliament

Thousands of delegates from across the country will gather in Beijing next week for the annual meeting of parliament, where China will announce goals for 2021 as well as its next five-year plan for economic development. The annual meetings of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s rubber-stamp parliament, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), are known as the “two sessions.”

The NPC is expected to sit for about a week, beginning on March 5. The CPPCC, a largely ceremonial advisory body, runs in parallel. The events typically draw a combined 5,000 delegates and will be held under strict COVID-19 controls. Last year’s meetings were delayed to May because of the coronavirus. Among the most-watched parts of the agenda are the presentation of an annual work report for 2021, and the release of China’s 14th five-year plan, expected to include hundreds of pages spelling out priorities for the world’s second-largest economy up to 2025.

Votes for new laws at the NPC follow the ruling Communist Party’s wishes and generally pass by overwhelming majority, but delegates have sometimes departed from the party line to vent frustrations over issues such as corruption and crime.

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