2012 National People's Congress
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The 5th Session of the 11th
National People's Congress The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China. With 2, ...
held its annual meeting in March 2012 at the
Great Hall of the People The Great Hall of the People is a state building located at the western edge of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. It is used for legislative and ceremonial activities by the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the ruling Chinese Co ...
in Beijing, China. The event opened on 5 March and concluded on 14 March. Premier
Wen Jiabao Wen Jiabao (born 15 September 1942) is a retired Chinese politician who served as the Premier of the State Council from 2003 to 2013. In his capacity as head of government, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy ...
delivered his work report as Premier.


Government work report

Premier Wen delivered the central government's work report on 5 March, stating GDP growth would be at 7.5 percent. This was slower than the 8 to 10 percent of preceding years and decades. The government was targeting inflation to be around 4 percent. Wen also indicated about 9 million new jobs would be created in towns and cities. The official urban unemployment rate was expected to be 4.6 percent or lower. He mentioned China's volume of total exports and imports had been projected to be about 10 percent. The central government would need to make further reforms in industrial restructuring, innovation, energy conservation, and emissions reduction, and real income increases for the people that are in line with economic growth. The work report reflected the growing challenges of managing growth and subduing inflation while the Communist Party mapped out a leadership transition and at the same time maintaining high employment and a high emphasis on safeguarding stability.


Premier Wen's press conference

In that year's National People's Congress convention, there were intense domestic and international media interest on Premier Wen and his views as this was his last year in office, home stretch to retirement. The media also wanted to hear Premier Wen's assessment of his term in office, insights to the challenges to the future, and the legacy he would be leaving behind. In the premier's last official press conference for his work report, he emphasized China required further economic and political reforms to keep the gains from over the years and keep on improving people's livelihoods. Wen alluded to the Cultural Revolution which was a travesty for the Chinese people and political reforms should still continue. He reflected there was a lot of unfinished business and regrets in his nine-year stint as premier. Wen was apologetic for the social and economic problems over the last decade and conceded there was room for improvements and took responsibility for it. Wen also reiterated poignantly the investigation into the
Wang Lijun incident The Wang Lijun incident was a major Chinese political scandal which began in February 2012 when Wang Lijun, vice-mayor of Chongqing, was abruptly demoted, after revealing to the United States consulate details of British businessman Neil Heywoo ...
in Chongqing had yielded significant progress and local authorities should ponder and learn from the incident. On 15 March 2012,
Bo Xilai Bo Xilai (; born 3 July 1949) is a Chinese former politician who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges. He came to prominence through his tenures as Mayor of Dalian and then the governor of Liaoning. From 2004 to November 2007, ...
, the Chongqing party chief, had been replaced. The premier stressed the new leadership will need to press on with political structural reform which are necessary to implement successful structural economic reforms.


References


External links


NPC Official Website
{{National People's Congress 2012 in China National People's Congresses