China kicks off its annual Parliament season

China on Wednesday began its politically significant annual Parliament season, amid mounting political and economic challenges in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and the growing adversity with the US over a host of issues including, Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. Every year in March, the full sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s parliament and the advisory body the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) hold their sessions with full members totalling over 5,000 legislators and advisors.

The CPPCC will begin its week-long session from Thursday which will be attended by Xi and other leaders while the NPC kicks off its meeting from March 5. The political season began on Wednesday with a nationally televised press conference by its spokesman.  CPCCC spokesman Guo Weimin said China’s exports of vaccines to expand geopolitical clout is a narrow-minded view. China’s status as a world’s factory has been affected by declining global markets and the trade war initiated by former US president Donald Trump, followed by his successor Joe Biden as well, by his move to ban of Chinese tech firms like Huawei, TikTok and restrictions on exports of semiconductor chips to China deepening the technology conflict between top two world economies.

China is also expected to increase about seven per cent of its defence budget which last year was 1.268 trillion yuan (close to $200 billion), according to report in state-run Global Times. It is over three times higher than India’s defence budget of $47.4 billion.