March 3, 2017 - China Begins Annual National People’s Congress Advisory Meetings

On March 3, 2017, you'd have witnessed the start of China's "Two Sessions" — the annual paired meetings of the CPPCC and NPC held every March at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The CPPCC opens first, offering policy consultation across diverse societal voices, before the NPC convenes to vote on major laws, budgets, and leadership decisions. In 2017, unusually high political and economic stakes made these sessions especially significant — and there's much more to uncover.

Key Takeaways

On March 3, 2017, China's annual Two Sessions began, with the CPPCC convening its advisory meetings ahead of the NPC plenary session.
The CPPCC functions as a consultative body, providing policy advice before NPC voting, without holding formal state power or policymaking authority.
Both the NPC and CPPCC hold five-year terms and convene one annual plenary session, typically lasting about ten days in Beijing.
CPPCC membership includes political parties, ethnic groups, social sectors, and representatives from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities.
The 2017 sessions occurred amid key pressures: a lowered GDP growth target of 6.5%, high national debt, and rising U.S.-China tensions.

What Are China's Two Sessions?

China's "Two Sessions" refers to the annual plenary meetings of two of the country's most important political bodies: the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Together, they form a cornerstone of China's political structure. The NPC serves as the highest state organ of power, electing leaders, approving budgets, and enacting major laws. The CPPCC functions as a consultative body, offering policy advice through multiparty cooperation.

Every March, both sessions run concurrently at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, lasting approximately ten days. Their annual agenda covers economic targets, fiscal strategies, and key policy priorities spanning economy, culture, and ecology.

They also attract significant domestic and international media attention. Notably, the term "Two Sessions" does not apply at the township level, as CPPCC committees do not exist there.

Both bodies serve five-year terms, holding one plenary session annually to carry out their respective legislative and consultative functions. Much like Canada's Constitution Act, 1982, which reshaped the legal framework governing rights and legislative review, the NPC plays a central role in shaping the constitutional and legal foundations of its country.

Why 2017's Two Sessions Were Unusually High-Stakes

The 2017 Two Sessions carried unusual weight even by China's high-stakes political standards. You're watching leadership consolidation accelerate in real time, with Xi Jinping's faction securing 70% of Politburo seats ahead of the 19th Party Congress. That reshuffling left no clear heir apparent, creating a succession vacuum that made every policy signal matter more than usual.

Meanwhile, economic vulnerability shadowed the entire proceedings. GDP growth targets dropped to 6.5%, private investment was declining, and a national debt-to-GDP ratio of 257% forced uncomfortable fiscal decisions. Premier Li Keqiang's government report faced direct scrutiny over post-2016 stimulus failures.

Add in Trump's trade threats, South China Sea tensions, and stalled domestic reforms, and you've got a political moment where the margin for miscalculation was essentially zero. This was also the same year Xi would meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago, marking a first U.S. visit that set the tone for a bilateral relationship that would deteriorate sharply in the years ahead. Underlying that deterioration was a structural shift in how the two economies related to one another, with the once-symbiotic arrangement where the US innovated and China manufactured giving way to direct competition across strategic industries. That competition extended even into symbolic arenas, as China's push for prestige in global events like the Olympics reflected a broader ambition, with Beijing's sustainability medal initiatives drawing international attention for sourcing metals from tens of thousands of tonnes of recycled electronics.

What China's Legislature Actually Voted On in 2017

When the 12th NPC's fifth and final session wrapped up in March 2017, deputies cast votes across nine major items—and the results tell you more about China's political priorities than the vote tallies alone suggest.

Premier Li Keqiang's Government Work Report earned the highest economic approvals at 99.22%, while the 2016 budget execution scraped by at 90.16%—the session's lowest margin. That gap signals deputies had real reservations about fiscal execution rather than broader policy direction.

On civil legislation, the General Principles of Civil Law passed at 98.20%, laying the groundwork for China's eventual civil code. Delegate election drafts for Hong Kong and Macau topped 99%, reflecting careful political management of regional representation. Hong Kong and Macao hold 36 and 12 seats respectively in the NPC, with delegates chosen by ad hoc electoral colleges created every five years.

Together, these votes reveal where consensus held firm and where quiet dissatisfaction surfaced. Much like the National Lacrosse Association transformed informal competition into structured governance through codified rules and centralized oversight, the NPC's voting procedures formalize political consensus within a defined institutional framework. By 2023, the stakes of NPC sessions had grown considerably, with 2,952 deputies present at the third plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC to elect state leadership, including Xi Jinping as president.

What Were the National Supervision Reform Trials?

Passed by the 12th NPC Standing Committee's 25th Session on December 25, 2016, the decision to launch national supervision reform trials kicked off pilots in Beijing, Shanxi, and Zhejiang. These pilot trials aimed to gather experience before a national rollout, marking the start of integrated supervision system reforms.

The newly established supervision commissions operated at county, city, and municipal district levels, sharing personnel and resources with the CCDI. Here's what they targeted:

Corruption, bribery, and rent-seeking
Abuses of power and dereliction of duty
Siphoning benefits and twisting law for personal gain
Wasting state assets

After the CCDI plenary in January 2017, authorities announced you'd see this system expand nationally. The commissions were empowered to investigate anyone exercising public authority, including government officials, state-owned company managers, and public school managers. Chairpersons of the supervision commissions were elected by people's congresses, while vice-chairpersons and members were appointed or removed by standing committees at the recommendation of chairpersons.

How the NPC and CPPCC Divided Responsibilities in 2017

While both bodies convened annually in March, China's NPC and CPPCC divided their roles sharply: the CPPCC advised, and the NPC decided.

You'd see this division clearly in their consultation mechanisms. Before the NPC voted on anything, CPPCC members offered proposals covering political, economic, cultural, and social affairs. Over 2,000 national political advisors contributed insights during the 2017 session alone. Each proposal required a formal reply from the relevant government department, establishing a clear oversight hierarchy that kept accountability intact.

Once consultation concluded, the NPC exercised its exclusive legislative authority — amending the Constitution, approving budgets, and deciding questions of war and peace.

The government then executed those decisions through State Council directives. CPPCC consultation, NPC voting, and government implementation followed sequentially, ensuring every major decision passed through each distinct institutional layer. The CPPCC itself is not a body of state power nor a policymaking organ, functioning instead as a platform through which parties, ethnic groups, and social sectors participate in state affairs. Its membership draws from a wide range of backgrounds, including representatives of Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan compatriots and returned overseas Chinese, reflecting the breadth of its consultative mandate.