The National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, China’s top legislative body, will convene in Beijing on Monday to discuss a wide range of issues. A large fiscal stimulus, recommended by several prominent economists and hotly anticipated by investors, is likely to be among them. As markets speculate over the potential size of a fiscal package … Read more
Li Xiaopeng, son of former Chinese premier Li Peng, has taken a semi-retirement role on the country’s top political advisory body, drawing an end to the closely watched political career of a member of one of China’s most powerful families. Li was assigned the role of deputy director of the economic affairs committee of the … Read more
Wu Bangguo, the former head of China’s top legislature, died in Beijing on Tuesday morning at the age of 83, official news agency Xinhua reported. Wu was one of China’s most powerful men between 2002 and 2012, serving as chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislature, and … Read more
Beijing’s quick endorsement of a scheme to raise the retirement age shows it is determined to address the problem of dwindling pension funds amid faltering economic growth and an ageing population, analysts say. But, they add, the changes are unlikely to be a silver bullet for fiscal shortfalls and could come with “political pain”. For … Read more
China’s top legislature has reviewed a plan to gradually raise the retirement age, months after the ruling Communist Party’s Central Committee proposed it be lifted in a “voluntary and flexible” way. The retirement age has been in place since 1951 and is among the lowest in the world. It is currently 60 for men, 55 … Read more
Chinese schools must raise students’ awareness about military service by stepping up their national defence education, according to a new set of legislative amendments. The proposed amendments, which are now under review by the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, included clauses about the contents of military training for students and military units’ obligations, China’s … Read more
Chinese state media has warned that selling government data risks privacy breaches and could even put national security at risk. “Government data is characterised by a large sample size, high sensitivity, and strong aggregation, making it highly susceptible to breaches of privacy data,” said a report published on Tuesday by Xinhua Daily Telegraph, an outlet … Read more
The former defence minister Li Shangfu, who is facing corruption charges, and two other senior commanders have also been removed from the committee. There continues to be much speculation about the fate of Qin, China’s shortest-serving foreign minister, whose disappearance the foreign ministry attributed to “health reasons”. Once seen as a trusted aide to the … Read more
The revision, passed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislative body, takes effect in November. Maximum penalties for anyone failing to fulfil their legal responsibilities during emergencies will increase fivefold under the revised law – from 200,000 yuan (US$27,520) to a million yuan to deter “particularly serious” situations, according to … Read more
The original clause – “producing, disseminating, propagating or spreading articles or remarks that are harmful to the spirit or the feelings of the Chinese nation” – has been removed from the article. In the first proposed draft amendment released in September, the clause stipulated six acts that could attract up to 15 days in detention, … Read more
