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There were only a few minutes left to arrive at 4:00 pm when the sky in Beijing darkened yesterday. It got as dark as if it were early morning. Then came the rain and the thunder. At that moment, in the Great Hall of the People, west of Tiananmen Square, the opening ceremony of the advisory council began, which was the prelude to the National Popular Assembly (ANP) this Friday, the biggest political event of the year , the annual meeting of the Chinese Parliament.

The session began with a minute of silence for the victims of the coronavirus. There were 2,057 delegates from all over the country in the auditorium, all wearing a mask. But in the front row, the leaders of the Communist Party, President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li Keqiang and Vice President Wang Qishan, were not wearing it.

Since the Mao Zedong Cultural Revolution, it has been the first time that the lianghui, as these two legislative sessions are known in China , has been postponed . Specifically, it has started 78 days late due to the pandemic. This event involves setting the political, economic and social foundations for the year. In theory, the 3,000 deputies from all over the country who meet in the Assembly, including the 250 members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, have power and vote to enact laws and supervise the work of the Government. Although, in reality, what they do is seal some guidelines already decided in advance by the Executive.

But this seven-day closed-door political conclave is especially important this year for several reasons. First, on all open fronts in the Asian giant: unemployment, the fall in GDP, the new cold war with the United States, the constant challenge of Taiwan and the Hong Kong protests. Second, because of the clear message that is sent to the Chinese people and the rest of the world by bringing together the ruling class of the country under the same roof. China returns to normal after leaving the coronavirus behind.

Although it must be clarified that this is a new normal in times of pandemic. All the deputies who have attended the Assembly, from members of the Xinjiang and Tibet Autonomous Regions, to the 200 delegates from Hong Kong, have had to undergo two nucleic acid tests. One, before leaving for Beijing and the other, at the Diaoyutai Guest House, the hotel where they had been detained days before the event began. The same procedures had to pass the foreign diplomats and journalists who have attended the opening ceremony of the Assembly. As soon as it started, as happened yesterday in its advisory body, a minute of silence has been observed by all the victims of the pandemic.

Proposals

The legislative session has started with the intervention of Prime Minister Li Keqiang. And the highlight of his speech was that, for the first time in the history of this Assembly , a specific economic growth target has not been established . Recall that the GDP of the second world power plummeted 6.8% in the first quarter of the year, the first contraction since 1976. "We did not set the GDP target mainly due to the global pandemic and the great uncertainties about the economy and trade. China faces unpredictable factors in its development, "said the prime minister.

But this year there was an issue that especially worried politicians, even more than economic growth: unemployment. According to a CNN Business study, some 80 million Chinese have lost their jobs during this viral crisis. The official unemployment rate, which only tracks the numbers in urban areas, was 6% in April. The same percentage that the Government has set this year according to the budget report presented on Friday. In addition, the creation of nine million jobs has been set, compared to 11 million in 2019.

Another focus of this Assembly was the budget that was to be spent on military spending. In China, some media outlets have been using a warlike tone in their editorials for weeks when referring to the confrontation with the United States. Especially after the last military movements of both powers in the South China Sea. It was notorious that the People's Liberation Army had asked for more money. And today a 6.6% increase in defense spending has been announced. However, this represents a slowdown in its military budget, since last year the increase was 7.5%.

"The continued growth in the Chinese military budget comes at a time when the United States is becoming increasingly aggressive and has carried out repeated military provocations against China in regions such as the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait," reads a note from the state newspaper Global Times. "Both regions have become hot spots, which military observers say run the risk of turning into real military conflicts. The United States has been sending warships and planes into the waters and airspace near China more frequently, and some invaded Chinese territories. Although China has also been conducting patrols and exercises to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. "

During the legislative opening, the Chinese premier has also addressed the phase one trade agreement with the United States, two weeks after President Donald Trump threatened to terminate the agreement. Li Keqiang has vowed to keep going despite increasing hostility between the two nations. Under this latest signed deal, China pledged to buy, for two years, at least $ 200 billion more in US goods and services than in 2017, including some $ 40 billion in agricultural products.

Relations between the two largest economic powers on the planet were already frozen before the coronavirus outbreak, despite outbreaks of rapprochement after the signing of the first phase of the trade agreement. Instead, diplomacy between the two countries is now going through its worst moment in decades. Doubts about the origin of the coronavirus and incessant accusations from Washington fly over the Great Palace of the People in Beijing.

A few days ago, President Xi Jinping defended China's management during the World Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) and rejected an international investigation into the origin of the coronavirus until the pandemic has been controlled. During today's conclave, its prime minister has promised that China "will strengthen cooperation with other countries" and that they "will reform the disease prevention and control system," as well as "transparently and timely disseminate information related to the epidemic and will increase investment in vaccine research and rapid testing. "

Taiwan

After her resounding victory in the Taiwan elections in January, President Tsai Ing-wen began her second term last Wednesday with a forceful message to Beijing: she will not submit to China's control or the "One country, two systems" formula. which has failed in Hong Kong.

The island, which has been internationally praised for its swift and effective management of the pandemic (440 infections and seven deaths), has carried out a direct confrontation with the World Health Organization (WHO) these weeks for not including it in the Assembly of Geneva after the China veto. On January 11, the nation chose at the polls to follow the path of democracy away from the tentacles of Beijing.

Now, with the support of the United States ("His courage and vision in leading Taiwan's vibrant democracy is an inspiration to the region and the world," said Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, to Tsai on Wednesday) and after For the world to applaud management against Covid-19, the Tsai government feels stronger than ever to stand up to China. Although the Beijing Foreign Office responded quickly in a statement: "There will be no room for Taiwan independence or for separatist activities."

In today's Assembly, Prime Minister Li Keqiang has also dedicated a few words to Taiwan, rejecting "separatist activities" and urging "peaceful reunification". Furthermore, Beijing makes it clear that it will not renounce the use of force to assert its sovereignty claims.

New security law in Hong Kong

The news fell yesterday afternoon with force and outrage over Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post newspaper said : "China plans to push national security laws for Hong Kong at its annual parliament meeting." In the evening, Beijing confirmed it. In other words, the protests that have bathed the former British colony since last June may be punished by secessionism, subversion and terrorism. In addition, the former colony's system of freedoms would be ended under the formula 'One country, two system', which is not enjoyed in Mainland China.

During the opening of the National People's Congress (ANP), Prime Minister Li Keqiang said that the central government would "precisely implement the 'One country, two systems' formula in Hong Kong." He also said that a "solid legal system and compliance mechanism should be established to safeguard national security in the special administrative region."

In Beijing, a resolution was tabled today to allow the NPC Standing Committee to pass a new national security law tailored for Hong Kong. In this way, this new regulation would not pass at any time through the local Parliament of the former colony, although article 23 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong says that it must be the territory itself that promulgates this type of laws by itself. "prohibit treason, secession, sedition and subversion" against the Chinese central government. Therefore, from the Beijing Assembly they will bypass Hong Kong's elected legislators and authoritatively impose the changes. A month ago, Luo Huining, the head of China's liaison office in Hong Kong, already called for laws to be passed urgently to combat "radical violence, foreign interference and independence forces."

As of Friday, May 8, the coronavirus had allayed protests in Hong Kong. A viral truce that was broken during a brawling brawl in Parliament over an argument to deliberate on who should chair the House Committee, MPs on the pro-Democratic side, or pro-government MPs. The atmosphere began to heat up and that weekend the protests returned in a dozen shopping centers. The day ended with 250 detainees after the confrontations between protesters and riot police.

Now, with the new national security law, everything indicates that the protests will become increasingly stronger in a region with the already controlled pandemic that has left 1,064 infected and four dead. "This is the end of Hong Kong. Beijing has completely failed to deliver on its promise to the people," said pro-democracy lawmaker Dennis Kwok.

In statements collected by The Guardian , several critics claim that this measure severely undermines Hong Kong's legal framework, established under the terms of the surrender of the former British colony to Chinese control in 1997. The one who was the last British governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten has called it a "comprehensive assault on city autonomy."

The new regulation, which is scheduled to be approved next week, is approaching the first anniversary of anti-government protests. Since last June, more than 7,000 protesters have been detained . Asia's financial epicenter entered a loop of violence last year. It all started with one main objective: for the government to withdraw a controversial bill that would have allowed the extradition of fugitives to mainland China. Critics feared that Beijing could use the bill to prosecute people for political reasons.

In the end, the head of the Executive, Carrie Lam, was able to overturn the law. But it was not enough because the protesters had already embraced four other demands that they were not going to drop: withdrawing the label "revolt" from the protests of June 12, which carries penalties of 10 years in prison for those detained in the marches of that day; investigating police abuses during protests, freedom for detainees and achieving full universal suffrage so that the people could also elect the chief executive. As clashes between protesters and police grew more frequent, protests began to spread throughout the city.

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