NPC Calendar: March 2018 (UPDATED)

UPDATE (Mar. 6, 2018): The finalized agenda and daily schedule of the Session are explained here.

The 1^st Session of the 13^th NPC will open on March 5. Access the full list of 2,980 newly elected delegates at this link _(PDF). We took a quick look at the composition of these delegates in this post. Based on currently available information, the following is an (almost complete) list of matters expected to be on the agenda for the Session:

• Routine matters
  1. Hear and deliberate the Government Work Report and work reports by the NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC), the Supreme People’s Court (SPC), and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP);
  2. Approve the 2018 National Economic and Social Development Plan;
  3. Approve the 2018 Budget of the Central Government;
• Personnel matters
  1. Elect the Chairman, Vice Chairpersons, Secretary General, and members of the NPCSC;
  2. Decide on the setup and the chairpersons, vice chairpersons, and members of the NPC special committees;
  3. Elect the P.R.C. President and Vice President;
  4. Decide on the choice of the Premier of the State Council upon nomination by the President, and on the choice of the Vice Premiers, State Councilors, ministers of the various ministries, directors of the various commissions, governor of the People’s Bank of China, Auditor General, and Secretary General of the State Council upon nomination by the Premier (all to be formally appointed by the President);
  5. Elect the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and appoint the Vice Chairmen and members of the Central Military Commission upon nomination by the Chairman;
  6. Elect the President of the SPC;
  7. Elect the Chief Procurator of the SPP;
  8. Elect the Chairman of the State Supervision Commission.
• Legislative matters
  1. Deliberate (and adopt) the draft Amendment to the P.R.C. Constitution;
  2. Deliberate (and adopt) the draft P.R.C Supervision Law;
  3. Deliberate (and approve) portions of the Plan to Deepen Reform of Party and State Institutions that concern state institutions. (The Plan was approved by the 19^th Central Committee’s Third Plenum on Wednesday.)

Given the heavier than usual agenda, we expect this session to last slightly longer than previous first sessions of new NPCs and to close around March 20.

On March 4, the 12^th NPCSC will convene the preparatory meeting of the Session to select members of the Presidium (which will preside over the Session) and to approve the finalized agenda for the Session. Shortly thereafter, the Presidium will meet to decide on the schedule for the Session, among other matters. We also expect the Session to hold the first press conference on that day. [UPDATE (Mar. 2, 2018): The Session’s Press Center has announced that the press conference will take place on March 4 at 11 am Beijing Time.] Our coverage of the 2018 NPC session will thus start on March 4.

With a day or two after the Session closes, the newly constituted 13^th NPCSC will convene for the first time to (only) appoint a few deputy secretaries general. By convention, a new NPCSC does not start deliberating legislative bills until late April.

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