Comprehensive reforms in China?

The annual meeting of the National People’s Congress (NPC)—held in Beijing from March 5-15 this year—is one of the few signature events in the Chinese political calendar that provides constitutional legitimacy to the policies and programmes initiated by various constituents of the Chinese political system. Interestingly though, this meeting takes place only after the Chinese president and the Standing Committee of the Politburo articulate and give their stamp of approval to a number of these policies.

The structure of the NPC, with 2987 deputies representing various sections of the Chinese political system and regions of China, is similar to the Indian Parliament. Additionally, the NPC has representatives from the judiciary and defence, and from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which makes it inclusive at least in composition if not in shaping Chinese society and polity. It even has representatives from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

At the annual session of the NPC, four key reports are presented: the first report, of the chairman of the NPC, traces the progress made in the legislative component of the Chinese state. The second and most eagerly-awaited is the report of the government, presented by the Premier. The third is by the National Development and Reform Commission, and the fourth report is of the Finance Ministry. A key aim of these reports is to take stock of the year gone by, with an eye on planning for the forthcoming year.

The NPC this year was significant for a number of reasons. First, it gave legal sanction to President Xi Jinping’s vision of the ideological landscape of China. Xi outlined his “Four Comprehensives”, which is some sort of crystallisation of the “Chinese Dream”, thus building on his predecessor, Hu Jintao, whose legacy was the concept of “Scientific Development”.

The “Four Comprehensives”, like Deng Xiaoping’s “Four Modernisations” and Jiang Zemin’s “Three Represents”, outline the broad framework of the path that China will tread in the next few years. The path includes building a moderately prosperous society; further deepening reform; governance of China according to law; and strict governing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

While China has been doing well in the first three “comprehensives”, it needs to improve the cleansing of the CCP, considering the growing incidents of corruption among the party’s rank and file. The articulation of the need for deeper reform is an indirect admission that the reform programme, which underpinned the country’s remarkable economic growth rate for the last three decades, is not comprehensive enough. The Chinese leadership, under the President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang, has committed itself to making reforms truly comprehensive, and this will be a guiding light over the next 10 years

The NPC this year also adopted the decision of the October 2014 Fourth Plenary Session of the CCP Central Committee, instituting December 4 as a National Constitution Day (Martyrs Day and Victory Days were also endorsed). This decision underscores and disseminates the significance of the Constitution, and is aimed at integrating the leadership of the party with the people and governance of the country.

It is a commendable initiative, but China has a long way to go in bridging the gulf between the rhetoric and reality of adhering to Constitutional provisions. In the closely-related issue of the selection of the Hong Kong special administrative representative, the NPC made the necessary amendments to select the representative by a universal vote.

A law to protect the environment is another major outcome of the NPC; the law aims to address the pollution caused by both national and multinational corporations in China. Considering China’s increasing global ecological footprint, the NPC highlighted two issues: tightening the environmental red lines to control pollution; and the government’s commitment to improve people’s participation in the effective management of pollution. But the impact of these commitments on the ground remains to be seen.

To strengthen science and technology in China, the NPC revised the Law on Promoting the Application of Scientific and Technological Advances to facilitate innovation. The focus of the Chinese leadership under President Xi is to put China on the path of innovation-driven development. If successful, this will have a major impact on the Chinese vision of becoming a nation of innovation in the foreseeable future.

The NPC also highlighted the establishment of special courts in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to prosecute cases of infringement of intellectual property rights. Multinationals operating in China will appreciate this move, provided the courts function effectively.

In addition, the NPC discussed setting up free trade zones in Guangdong, Fujian, and Tianjin, in order to put in place more effective trade linkages between some of the most dynamic provinces in China and the rest of the world.

The NPC emphasised the need to integrate rural and urban development, particularly given the country’s rapid urbanisation. Xi said that “Rural living standards are the measure of success in our drive to moderate prosperity in China” and integrated development could reduce the growing inequalities between urban and rural areas. [1]

With a few exceptions, the issues that the NPC deliberated and decided are relevant for India too, given the trajectory of the country’s development. But three things stand out: first, India must ensure that its economy is driven by science, technology, and innovation; second, the growing gulf between rural and urban India must be bridged as quickly as possible; and third, India must ensure sustainable and environment-friendly development. Will India’s leaders take a cue from China?

Dr. Varaprasad S. Dolla is Associate Professor and Chairperson of Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

This article was exclusively written for Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations. You can read more exclusive content here.

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Reference:

[1] Full Text: Work Report of NPC Standing Committee, Xinhua, March 19, 2015, <http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2015-03/19/c_134081116_4.htm.>