Prime Minister Li Qiang wants to control expensive infrastructure projects more closely, lead the country out of dependence on the USA, promote future technologies and achieve five percent growth – but an economic stimulus package is missing.
It’s snowing outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, unusually dull weather for this time of year. Inside, a bell signals the beginning of the opening session of the People’s Congress to the almost 2,900 delegates, many wearing the traditional costumes of ethnic minorities or uniforms of the armed forces. They are the backdrop against which the Chinese government announces its economic policy goals for the current year. The Chinese economy is expected to grow by around five percent, as much as last year and expected by most analysts. Under the eyes of China’s long-term ruler Xi Jinping, the delegates to the mock parliament approve the first work report of his head of government Li Qiang. They clap again and again in a disciplined manner, it should be a picture of unity and confidence, different from the weather outside.