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Explainer | ‘Two sessions’ 2021: five things you need to know about China’s biggest political gatherings

  • Thousands of legislators and advisers will gather in Beijing in early March to set and endorse the national agenda
  • A number of factors will make this year’s meetings different

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The closing meeting of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, on May 28, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

More than 5,000 members of China’s political elite are expected to converge on Beijing in early March for the biggest event on the political calendar.

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Known as the “two sessions”, or lianghui , the annual gatherings of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the National People’s Congress (NPC) are a window on the central government’s priorities and plans for the coming year.

This year’s two sessions commence on March 4, and will wrap up on March 11.

The 2021 gatherings of the top advisory and legislative bodies are particularly important because they will mark the start of the next five-year plan and fall in the Communist Party’s centenary year.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. The two meetings are separate affairs

While the CPPCC and NPC meetings take place almost simultaneously and at the same place, they are separate events.

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