Don't hold your breath for major reform plan at NPC meeting
Zhengxu Wang says an announcement of the cabinet line-up aside, China's leaders won't be talking up major reform at the NPC meeting. They have learned it's wiser to play down expectations
This year's National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference meetings are important in the sense that a new government will be "sworn in". The new premier will take up his position, together with a whole new cabinet - following the forming of a new Central Committee, ministers are expected to be reappointed as well, with a five-year term ahead.
And there will be no surprises when the president, vice-president, and chairmen of the new NPC Standing Committee and CPPCC are all "elected" or confirmed.
The public may be more eager to find out what policy initiatives the new government will press ahead with. They expect policies to show that it is the right government for the country. The new party leadership that emerged from November's Communist Party congress carries a strong mandate of "reform". With the honeymoon period fading, citizens are watching carefully to see what the leadership has to offer in terms of real action.
Before the party congress, there was already an indication that the new leadership would take structural reforms quite seriously and there were signs Xi Jinping had been commissioning reform proposals throughout the past year or two.
Li Keqiang, who will become premier, was also quick to signal his reformist intentions and that his government would take concrete measures.
But it is too soon to expect the leadership team to roll out a comprehensive reform plan now; there simply hasn't been enough time to forge a consensus among the party elite since November's congress.
