China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) has released its 2023 session’s agenda and daily schedule of meetings. This year’s session will open on the morning of March 5 and close on the morning of March 13. Lasting only eight and a half days, it is the shortest inaugural session of an NPC in at least forty years. NPC sessions in the last three years were each shortened to seven days (from typically ten) due to Covid-control measures. This year’s session is the first one held since the zero-Covid policy ended last December, but it appears the compressed meeting schedule is here to stay. All times below are in China Standard Time (UTC +8:00). For a primer on the NPC and its annual sessions, check out this FAQ.
The 2023 session’s agenda contains the following nine items:
- Deliberate the Government Work Report;
- Review a report on the implementation of the 2022 National Economic and Social Development Plan (“Development Plan”) and on the draft 2023 Development Plan;
- Review a report on the execution of the 2022 Central and Local Budgets (“Budgets”) and on the draft 2023 Budgets;
- Deliberate a draft amendment to the Legislation Law [立法法];
- Deliberate the work report of the NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC);
- Deliberate the work report of the Supreme People’s Court (SPC);
- Deliberate the work report of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP);
- Deliberate a State Council Institutional Reform Plan (“Reorganization Plan”) [国务院机构改革方案]; and
- Elect and appoint constituent members of state institutions.
Note that the last item on the agenda in fact entails a series of personnel votes. According to the daily schedule, those votes will take place at the following four plenary meetings:
- March 5 (a.m.): Chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, and members of the 14th NPC Constitution and Law Committee and the 14th NPC Financial and Economic Affairs Committee.
- March 10 (a.m.): PRC president and vice-president; chairperson of the Central Military Commission (CMC); and chairperson, vice-chairpersons, and secretary-general of the 14th NPCSC.
- March 11 (a.m.): Premier of the State Council; vice-chairpersons and members of the CMC; chairperson of the State Supervision Commission (SSC); president of the SPC; procurator-general of the SPP; and rank-and-file members of the 14th NPCSC.
- March 12 (a.m.): Vice-premiers, state councilors, departmental heads*, and secretary-general of the State Council; and the chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, and members of other NPC special committees**.
* “Departmental heads” consist of the heads of the various ministries and commissions under the State Council (as restructured by the Reorganization Plan), the People’s Bank of China, and the National Audit Office.
** According to the daily schedule, the 14th NPC will establish at least eight other special committees: Ethnic Affairs Committee; Supervisory and Judicial Affairs Committee; Education, Science, Culture, and Public Health Committee; Foreign Affairs Committee; Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee, Environmental Protection and Resources Conservation Committee; Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee; and Social Development Affairs Committee. It is possible that, under the recently approved Party and State Institutional Reform Plan, the 14th NPC will establish additional special committees.
We have published the following explainer on China’s quinquennial state leadership transition, which discusses the differences between elections and appointments, the delegates’ consideration of the nominees, the order of personnel votes, and the mechanics of voting, among other issues. We highly recommend that you check it out.
Finally, key documents will be introduced and voted on according to the following schedule:
- March 5 (a.m.): Hear the Government Work Report; review the report on the Development Plans and the 2023 Development Plan; review the report on the Budgets and the 2023 Budgets; and hear an explanation of the draft Legislation Law amendment.
- March 7 (p.m.): Hear the NPCSC’s, SPC’s, and SPP’s work reports; and hear an explanation of the Reorganization Plan.
- March 9 (a.m.): Vote on the Reorganization Plan.
- March 11 (a.m.): Vote on various resolutions concerning the work reports, Development Plans, and Budgets; and vote on the draft Legislation Law amendment.
A more detailed description of the session’s daily schedule follows. Though not specified in the official schedule, constitutional-oath ceremonies are expected to follow the personnel votes each day on March 10–12. We will update this post with links to all plenary meetings and press conferences throughout the session.
Sunday, March 5
9 a.m. (1st plenary meeting): (1) Hear the Government Work Report from Li Keqiang (Premier); (2) review the report on the Development Plans and the 2023 Development Plan; (3) review the report on the Budgets and the 2023 Budgets; (4) hear an explanation of the draft Legislation Law amendment by Wang Chen (13th NPCSC Vice Chairman); (5) vote on a draft Decision on Establishing the Special Committees of the 14th NPC; (6) vote on draft Measures for Voting on the Chairpersons, Vice-Chairpersons, and Members of the Special Committees of the 14th NPC; (7) vote on a draft list of constituent members* of the 14th NPC Constitution and Law Committee; and (8) vote on a draft list of constituent members of the 14th NPC Financial and Economic Affairs Committee.
* “Constituent members” is a shorthand for the chairperson, vice-chairpersons, and other members of an NPC special committee.
🎙 10:45 a.m.: Ministers’ Corridor (brief Q&As)
Jin Zhuanglong, Minister of Industry and Information Technology
Wang Zhigang, Minister of Science and Technology
Huang Runqiu, Minister of Ecology and Environment
3 p.m.: Delegates deliberate the Government Work Report as delegations.
Monday, March 6
9 a.m.: Delegates deliberate the Government Work Report in small groups.
3 p.m.: Delegates review, in small groups, the report on the Development Plans and the draft 2023 Development Plan, as well as the report on the Budgets and the draft 2023 Budgets.
Tuesday, March 7
9 a.m.: Delegates deliberate the draft Legislation Law amendment in small groups.
🎙 10 a.m.: “China’s foreign policy and foreign relations”
Qin Gang, Minister of Foreign Affairs
3 p.m. (2nd plenary meeting): (1) Hear the NPCSC’s work report from Li Zhanshu ( 13th NPCSC Chairman); (2) hear the SPC’s work report from Zhou Qiang (SPC President); (3) hear the SPP’s work report from Zhang Jun (SPP Procurator-General); and (4) hear an explanation of the Reorganization Plan by Xiao Jie (State Councilor & Secretary-General of the State Council).
🎙 5:15 p.m.: Ministers’ Corridor (brief Q&As)
Ni Hong, Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development
Wang Xiangxi, Minister of Emergency Management
Luo Wen, Director of the State Administration for Market Regulation
Wednesday, March 8
9 a.m.: Delegates deliberate the NPCSC’s work report in small groups.
3 p.m.: Delegates, in small groups, deliberate a revised version of the draft Legislation Law amendment, the Reorganization Plan, and draft Measures on Elections and Appointments, and recommend scrutineers [监票人]*.
* The roles of scrutineers are explained in this post.
Thursday, March 9
9 a.m.: Delegates deliberate the SPC’s and SPP’s work reports in small groups.
3 p.m.: Delegates, as delegations, deliberate a draft Decision on the State Council Institutional Reform Plan and conduct “deliberations and consultations” [酝酿协商]* on candidates for the PRC president; CMC chairperson; 14th NPCSC chairperson, vice-chairpersons, and secretary-general; and PRC vice-president.
* The significance of “deliberations and consultations” is explained in this post.
Friday, March 10
9 a.m. (3rd plenary meeting): (1) Vote on the draft Decision on the State Council Institutional Reform Plan; (2) vote on the draft Measures on Elections and Appointments; (3) vote on a draft list of co-chief scrutineers and scrutineers; (4) elect the PRC president; (5) elect the CMC chairperson; (6) elect the 14th NPCSC chairperson, vice-chairpersons, and secretary-general; and (7) elect the PRC vice-president.
3 p.m.: Delegates, as delegations, “deliberate” [酝酿] nominees for the State Council premier as well as CMC vice-chairpersons and members; and conduct deliberations and consultations on candidates for the SSC chairperson, SPC president, SPP procurator-general, and rank-and-file 14th NPCSC members.
Saturday, March 11
9 a.m. (4th plenary meeting): (1) Appoint the State Council premier; (2) appoint the CMC vice-chairpersons and members; (3) elect the SSC chairperson; (4) elect the SPC president; (5) elect the SPP procurator-general; and (6) elect rank-and-file 14th NPCSC members.
3 p.m.: Delegates, as delegations, deliberate nominees for the vice-premiers, state councilors, departmental heads, and secretary-general of the State Council; and the constituent members of other NPC special committees.
Sunday, March 12
9 a.m. (5th plenary meeting): (1) Appoint the vice-premiers, state councilors, departmental heads, and secretary-general of the State Council; and (2) separately vote on draft lists of constituent members of other 14th NPC special committees.
🎙 11 a.m.: Ministers’ Corridor (brief Q&As)
Gao Zhidan, Director of the General Administration of Sport
Kang Yi, Director of the National Bureau of Statistics
Wang Guanghua, Minister of Natural Resources
3 p.m.: Delegates deliberate, in small groups, six draft resolutions on the Government Work Report, Development Plans, Budgets, NPCSC’s work report, SPC’s work report, and SPP’s work report, respectively.
Monday, March 13
9 a.m. (6th plenary meeting): (1) Vote on all draft resolutions; (2) vote on the draft Legislation Law amendment; (3) speech by the PRC president; and (4) speech by the 14th NPCSC chairperson.
🎙 10:30 a.m.: Q&A with the Premier
Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council
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