Podcasts Government NCUSCR Events Jude Blanchette, Sun Yun | Two Sessions, Two Directions, Many Challenges

Jude Blanchette, Sun Yun | Two Sessions, Two Directions, Many Challenges

Published: June 9, 2020, 7:36 p.m.

The 2020 annual meetings of the National People\u2019s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People\u2019s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), known as the \u201cTwo Sessions\u201d or \u201cLianghui,\u201d were originally scheduled to begin in Beijing on March 5. The meetings were postponed due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, and new dates were announced in late April: the CPPCC meeting began instead on May 21 and the NPC on May 22.\xa0

At past Two Sessions, the leadership unveiled its target for GDP growth for the year, presented a road map for the year ahead, and closed with a news conference during which the premier took vetted questions from Chinese and foreign journalists. Given the impact of COVID-19, objectives, formats, and announcements were very different this year.\xa0

On\xa0May 29, 2020, the National Committee held a virtual program with\xa0Mr. Jude Blanchette, Freeman Chair of China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and\xa0Ms. Sun Yun, senior fellow and co-director of\xa0the East Asia Program and director of the China\xa0Program at the Stimson Center, both members of the Committee\u2019s\xa0Public Intellectuals Program, to reflect on key takeaways from the 2020 Two Sessions.