Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Thursday, March 07, 2019

China's legislature

When Americans contemplate a legislature that has about eight times as many legislators as their Congress, they must wonder how anything gets done. This would be time to review democratic centralism and the National People's Congress' Standing Committee.

'Two sessions': Beijing locked down for China's greatest political spectacle

China’s largest political event of the year, a meeting of legislative delegates and political advisers known as the “two sessions”, gets under way this week and comes at a time when Chinese leader Xi Jinping faces one of the most challenging periods since coming to power.

Thousands of delegates will descend on the Great Hall of the People in Beijing while authorities go into overdrive to prevent any semblance of dissent during the two weeks of meetings of the nearly 3,000-strong National People’s Congress (NPC) , and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), an advisory body.

NPC session

The annual meeting is nicknamed the “two sessions” because both the NPC and the CPCC meet. The NPC, a legislative body, is often described as a “rubber stamping” parliament whose function is mainly ceremonial.

During the meeting, NPC delegates will ratify legislation, personnel changes and the government budget – all of which have been largely approved beforehand. Delegates include not only government officials but also business executives and celebrities like Tencent founder Pony Ma, actor Jackie Chan, and former NBA player Yao Ming.

Most laws are made by the NPC standing committee, which runs the legislature and passes laws throughout the year. The legislature, which has been meeting since 1954, has never voted down a proposed law…

Before major political events, security in Beijing is often tightened with human rights activists put under surveillance or “travelled” outside the capital…

Teaching Comparative blog entries are indexed. Use the search box to look for country names or concept labels attached to each entry.

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China's legislature When Americans contemplate a legislature that has about eight times as many legislators as their Congress, they must wonder how anything gets done. This would be time to review democratic centralism and the National People's Congress' Standing Committee.

'Two sessions': Beijing locked down for China's greatest political spectacle

China’s largest political event of the year, a meeting of legislative delegates and political advisers known as the “two sessions”, gets under way this week and comes at a time when Chinese leader Xi Jinping faces one of the most challenging periods since coming to power.

Thousands of delegates will descend on the Great Hall of the People in Beijing while authorities go into overdrive to prevent any semblance of dissent during the two weeks of meetings of the nearly 3,000-strong National People’s Congress (NPC) , and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), an advisory body.

The annual meeting is nicknamed the “two sessions” because both the NPC and the CPCC meet. The NPC, a legislative body, is often described as a “rubber stamping” parliament whose function is mainly ceremonial.

During the meeting, NPC delegates will ratify legislation, personnel changes and the government budget – all of which have been largely approved beforehand. Delegates include not only government officials but also business executives and celebrities like Tencent founder Pony Ma, actor Jackie Chan, and former NBA player Yao Ming.

Most laws are made by the NPC standing committee, which runs the legislature and passes laws throughout the year. The legislature, which has been meeting since 1954, has never voted down a proposed law…

Before major political events, security in Beijing is often tightened with human rights activists put under surveillance or “travelled” outside the capital…

Teaching Comparative blog entries are indexed. Use the search box to look for country names or concept labels attached to each entry.