China lawmakers have West’s decline on their minds at ‘two sessions’
- Minutes released from the weekend’s group discussions reveal several mentions of the US and its allies
- The annual meeting in Beijing is mostly focused on domestic affairs, but Washington is seen as the main source of uncertainty, at home and abroad
While discussions are predominantly focused on domestic affairs, deputies at this year’s National People’s Congress tend to see the West as in decline, according to meeting minutes made available to journalists.
The lawmakers, some of them senior Chinese officials themselves, also see Washington as a main source of domestic and international uncertainties.
The People’s Liberation Army is expected to face “unprecedented” confrontation between major powers, said General Wei Fenghe, China’s minister of defence, in a Sunday discussion at the NPC.
“Against the backdrop of the decline of the West and the rise of the East, confrontation between major powers is unprecedented and we need to focus on responding to containment and suppression from the outside,” he said.
Wei added that China’s national security would be in a period of “high pressure” and “high risks” in the long term.
