‘Two Sessions’ shape Chinese trajectory

Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka Wu Jianghao

The 12th National People's Congress (NPC,China's top legislature) and the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, China's top political advisory body) were respectively opened on March 5 and 3 and closed on March 18 and 14.

The convening of these annual meetings, which is also called “two sessions”, has been successful and fruitful. The “Two Sessions” are of great significance in the future development of China, especially for the next 10 years.

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference vice chairman Luo Fuhe called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa

In this article, I would like to brief the Sri Lankan friends some highlights about the Two Sessions and my expectation for the future development of the China-Sri Lanka relations.

Transition of leadership

China has completed the largest transition of state leadership to take place in the last decade, ushering in a new era.

Xi Jinping, head of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was elected state president and chairman of the country's Central Military Commission (CMC). Xi's nomination of Li Keqiang as the premier of the State Council was approved by the National People's Congress (NPC).

With the launch of a restructuring plan, the new cabinet lineup has 25 members, two fewer than the previous one.

The cabinet has eight new faces, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Defence Minister Chang Wanquan, Finance Minister Lou Jiwei, Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng. The average age of the new cabinet members is 60, nearly three years older than the last lineup.

They have rich work experience in central and local departments and remarkable advantages in terms of their knowledge, education and professionalism. All cabinet members have a college education background and their college majors are more diverse, with a remarkable increase in humanities. The new cabinet is expected to accelerate its functional transformation and present a new style under new Premier Li Keqiang.

Progress in five years

The past five years were an extraordinary period of time in the course of China's development.

China has weathered the severe impact of international financial crisis and maintained stable and rapid economic development. China's GDP increased from 26.6 trillion yuan(3.64 trillion USD) to 51.9 trillion yuan(8.3 trillion USD) in 2012, the world’ s second most, by an average annual growth of 9.3 percent.

The per capita disposable income of urban residents rose by 8.8 percent annually to 24,565 yuan( 3,900USD) in 2012, and the per capita net income of rural residents rose by 9.9 percent to 7,917 yuan(1,256USD). Grain output increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2012. Energy consumption per unit of GDP fell by 17.2 percent.

The government spending on education totaled 7.79 trillion yuan over the past five years and increased annually by 21.58 percent to reach 4 percent of GDP in 2012. The basic old-age insurance system covers both urban and rural residents, with a total of 790 million people joining various old-age insurance schemes. A basic medical insurance system that covers the whole population is taking shape, and over 1.3 billion people are covered by different medical insurance schemes. The average life expectancy reached 75 years.

Economic and social development targets

In the Government Work Report presented by former Premier Wen Jiabao to this year's NPC, he listed some highlights of China's development targets in 2013. The gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to grow about 7.5 percent and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase be kept around 3.5 percent. More than 9 million urban job opportunities will be created and the registered urban unemployment rate will be kept at or below 4.6 percent. The target for growth of the broad money supply (M2) is about 13 percent.

The Chinese Government will accelerate the change of the growth model and promote sustained and sound economic development, strengthen the foundation for agriculture and rural development and promote integrated urban and rural development, give high priority to ensuring and improve people's well-being and improve their material and cultural lives. It will continue to implement a proactive fiscal policy. It will increase support for poor areas to alleviate poverty.

Chinese dream

Recently, the phrase Chinese dream has generated great attention and discussion in China and even the world.

Like any other nations, the Chinese people also cherish their own dream. President Xi jinping pushed forward the concept of Chinese dream which means the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It includes the country's prosperity and people's happiness.

It is vividly reflected in the “two 100th anniversary concept: When the Communist Party of China celebrates its 100 anniversary in 2021, China will enjoy a well-off society. When the People's Republic of China celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2049, China will be a prosperous, democratic, civilized and harmonious socialist modern country.

To realize the Chinese dream, China will continue to hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit and unswervingly pursue peaceful development.

Pursuing the Chinese dream is conducive to realizing the world dream of durable peace and common prosperity. When China grows, it will provide more products and market to the world.

When China has more strength, it will have more resources and power to support and assist the developing countries, which are always the best friends of China.

Chinese dream is not only for the Chinese people. Its realization is also conducive to the world.

China's foreign policy

The world today is undergoing profound and complex changes. The trend of our time towards peace, development and cooperation has gathered momentum.

At the same time, the underlying impact of the international financial crisis is still with us. The world economic recovery lacks momentum, and global challenges such as climate change and energy and food security are still prominent.

All these developments will exert major impact on the international situation and China's diplomatic work in time to come.

We will properly handle the external risks and challenges, and create more favorable conditions for China's economic and social development to serve the primary goal of shifting China's growth model at a faster pace.

We will continue to stand for handling and resolving regional and international issues, in particular, those hotspot ones through dialogue, consultation and negotiation, and play a responsible role as a major country.

We will enhance our friendly relations and cooperation with other countries and regional and international organizations. We will work with them to deepen common interests, meet global challenges and safeguard world peace and promote common development.

China-Sri Lanka relationship

China and Sri Lanka are true friends and good partners. Our friendship has lasted for thousands of years and still remains close and cordial. Today, our bilateral relationship is at prime time, featuring frequent high level visits and dynamic cooperation in various fields. President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited China five times since he took office.

Last year, Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa visited China and reached consensus with the Chinese leadership. China National People's Congress Standing Committee chairman Wu Bangguo paid a visit to Sri Lanka.

The two countries support each other on the issues concerning respective core interests and have good coordination in the international arena.

Our relationship has become an example of friendly cooperation between countries with different national conditions and social systems.

After the “Two Sessions” in 2013 and the election of the new leadership of China, we are confident to expect a brighter prospect for the China-Sri Lanka ties. Immediately after Xi Jinping was elected President, he held a telephone conversation with President Rajapaksa.

The two Heads of State had a broad and fruitful exchanges of views on the current status and future orientation of bilateral relations. President Xi stressed that China would firmly support Sri Lanka's efforts to protect its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

President Rajapaksa was among the first six Heads of State, President Xi had spoken to by telephone since he was elected president, which embodies the great importance China has attached to its relationship with Sri Lanka and has injected new impetus to the further development of the bilateral relations.

At the invitation of the Sri Lankan government, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference of China Luo Fuhe visited Sri Lanka from March 17 to 21, and attended the opening of the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.

Luo Fuhe called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa and exchanged views on bilateral relations.

We believe that the good start is a harbinger of the future momentum of the development of the bilateral relations between the two countries. Chinese is ready to join hands with Sri Lankan to enhance political trust, deepen the cooperation in economic and trade areas, strengthen cultural exchanges and people-to-people understanding.