A wet winter morning
One thing Beijing residents can usually count on during the Two Sessions is clear skies — social media users even have a term for it, “liang hui blue.” It’s often been speculated that Chinese officials go to great lengths to ensure the best possible weather, including by ordering factories outside Beijing to shut down before and during the political event.
This year, however, weather conditions may have been too unfavorable to influence: The city woke up this morning to freezing temperatures, gray skies and wet snow.
Tight security around Tiananmen Square
The Great Hall of the People sits at the western edge of Tiananmen Square, where security is always tight. During big political sessions like the National People’s Congress it goes into overdrive, with thousands of police officers, soldiers and specialized security like canine units. Typically the square is searched and scoured before anyone is allowed to enter it — including a thorough sniffing of the flower beds.
In surprise move, Chinese premier won’t face reporters
On the eve of the opening of the National People’s Congress, Chinese officials made a surprise announcement: Premier Li Qiang, China’s No. 2 official after President Xi Jinping, will not be holding a news conference at the end of this year’s legislative session — or at any of them during his term, which runs until 2028. It marks the end of a 30-year tradition.
For decades, the premier’s televised news conference was one of the few chances for anyone — including journalists like me who are based here — to see the country’s No. 2 official provide insight into Chinese Communist Party thinking and publicly discussing China’s affairs.
Scrapping it is another reversal of the reforms and “opening up” that began here in the late 1970s and makes an opaque political system even more of a black box. It will be harder for foreign policymakers and businesses to get clear signals from China’s leadership on plans.
It is also likely to…
Read the full article here
