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China Opens Parliament With Star-Studded Cast (THE WSJ CHINA REAL TIME REPORT BLOG)
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China Opens Parliament With Star-Studded Cast (THE WSJ CHINA REAL TIME REPORT BLOG)March 4, 2013 http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/03/04/china-opens-parliament-with-star-studded-cast/?mod=WSJBlog China has kicked off its annual session of parliament, and the official People’s Daily has given some helpful advice (in Chinese) to the more than 3,000 journalists registered to cover it: aim for in-depth, authoritative and objective reporting — and by the way don’t chase celebrity delegates But those high-minded prescriptions might be a little more useful if China’s parliament and its advisory sidekick had a little more room to flex their legislative muscle. The annual plenary sessions of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) are collectively referred to as the “two meetings,” or lianghui. The NPC is China’s rubber-stamp parliament while the CPPCC is described officially as a “patriotic united front organization of the Chinese people, serving as a key mechanism for multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.” While delegates to the two meetings will get to discuss key plans for streamlining the government and even make recommendations, it’s hard to conceive of this pageant as much more than a talk shop when there is only one full session a year. The quest for authoritative and objective reporting might be easier with a little less secrecy surrounding even the simplest information. A list of all delegates to the advisory body was released without explanation of what any of the more than 2,000 representatives did to get into this august body. Even the time of the CPPCC’s opening session was kept under wraps until the last moment – and they were similarly coy with the closing date for the parliament session, which formally opens Tuesday. That presents a bit of a challenge for serious news coverage, leaving state media to occupy the role of stenographer. CPPCC chairman Jia Qinglin noted that over the last five years the advisory body had organized more than 500 in-depth studies, zeroing in on the economy, people’s livelihood and regional development, state media reported. Xinhua revealed that a total of 28,930 proposals had been submitted by CPPCC members over the past five years, and 26,583 of these had been addressed. There were no details on which had actually made it into policy or law. Other useful facts in the pursuit of in-depth, authoritative and objective reporting: More than 60% of the advisory body are not members of the Communist Party. (No matter that the guys sitting in the front row were all on the Standing Committee of the party’s powerful Politburo.) There are also 31 migrant workers at the NPC and all 55 of China’s minorities are represented. This year there are more workers, farmers and “experts” than last year, and a guiding principle is that there is equality in geography and ethnicity, according to Xinhua. And then there is Shen Jilan, an 84-year-old villager who has been an NPC delegate since 1954, and is now back again. Even the official media have felt compelled to note that last year she conceded that she had never opposed a proposal. Difficulty digging up substantive stories might explain why it is so tough for media to resist the celebrities – from basketball great Yao Ming to renowned director Chen Kaige to Nobel prize winning novelist Mo Yan and comic actor and TV director Zhao Benshan. Even the country’s official English-language newspaper China Daily found itself flashing a little star power on its front page on Saturday, showing off a beaming Jackie Chan on arrival in Beijing, ready to take his place among the government advisers. Yao Ming seemed to agree with the admonishments on chasing the celebrity delegates. “Do I have to hide in the toilet to get away from you?” the 7-foot-6 former NBA player said to a reporter, according to the China Daily. There’s probably still time for some in-depth reporting as the event has only just begun. But hey- there goes Jackie Chan! – William Kazer “Red descendants” at this year’s “two sessions” (danwei.com)by Barry van Wyk on March 4, 2013 http://www.danwei.com/red-descendants-at-this-years-two-sessions/ The annual session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), dubbed China’s leading political advisory body, commenced at the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square in Beijing yesterday, and will run until 12 April. Traditionally held concurrently with the annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s highest legislative body that will convene on 5 March, the two meetings are collectively referred to as the “two sessions” (两会). The mood at this year’s two sessions is slightly more subdued than usual, with Xi Jinping’s incoming administration aiming to restrict ostentatious displays of wealth, lavish banquets, and excessive exchange of gifts that were the hallmark of meetings in recent years. This year the 2,237 delegates will have to make do with alcohol-free buffets. This year’s two sessions and the reforms supposedly to be discussed there dominate the front pages of China’s newspapers today (see gallery below). The City Lady (都市女报) from Shandong province, however, has as usual taken a slightly different view with a front page story on the “Red descendants” at the two sessions this year, i.e. the delegates who are children and grandchildren of previous Party leaders. On the City Lady‘s count, there are in total at least 24 “Red descendants” at this year’s CPPCC, 15 men and nine women. The three images on the newspaper’s front page (see image above) are three of the nine female “Red descendants” delegates, namely (from left to right) Deng Xiaoping’s daughter Deng Nan (邓楠), Li Ping’s daughter Li Xiaolin (李小林), and Zhu Rongji’s daughter Zhu Yanlai (朱燕来). Also included among the 24 are Mao Zedong’s grandson Mao Xinyu (毛新宇), Zhou Enlai’s niece Zhou Bingjian (周秉建), Zhu De’s grandson Zhu Heping (朱和平), Chen Yun’s son Chen Yuan (陈元), Wan Li’s son Wan Lifei (万季飞), Li Xiannian’s daughter Li Xiaolin (another 李小林), and Li Dazhao’s grandson Li Hongta (李宏塔). Three new arrivals Three of the 24 are this year appearing for the first time, namely Chen Yuan (the current Chairman of China Development Bank), Lieutenant General Xu Xiaoyan (徐小岩) (son of Xu Xiangqian, a former Marshal in the People’s Liberation Army), and Ren Kelei (任克雷)(son of former Guangdong Party Secretary Ren Zhongyi). Classification by occupation After checking on the official occupation of each of the 24, City Lady came up with the following classification: Eight are in government or political posts; ten are in business; five hold military posts; and one is a scholar. Of the ten “Red descendants” that are listed as employed in business, Li Ping’s daughter Li Xiaolin is particularly noteworthy. The CEO of China Power International Development, a Hong Kong-listed company, she is known variously as the “first sister” or the queen of China’s power market. Here’s how a few other newspaper front pages today covered the two meetings in more conventional fashion: 东莞时报 东南快报 贵州都市报 今晨六点 辽宁日报 南方都市报 Links and sources The Guardian: Chinese elite tighten their designer belts at sober annual congress City Lady (都市女报): “红后代”在两会
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