The National People's Congress, which decides important policies in China, has begun, and the Chinese government has set a target for economic growth of around 5.5%, emphasizing the policy of working on economic measures toward the Communist Party Congress in the latter half of the year. Did.



However, due to the situation in Ukraine, the future economic uncertainty is increasing, and the focus is on how Xi Jinping's leadership will steer economic management.

Numerical target for this year's economic growth rate "around 5.5%"

Prime Minister Li Keqiang, who reported on government activities at the National People's Congress, which opened on the 5th at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, said, "We must maintain the stability of the big picture of society and welcome the Communist Party Congress with victory. The economy is new. Under downward pressure, stable growth needs to be given higher priority. "



He also clarified that the numerical target for the economic growth rate will be around 5.5%.



The Chinese economy has continued to slow down due to the stagnation of personal consumption due to restrictions on the movement of people due to the "zero corona" policy that thoroughly suppresses infection, and the deterioration of the real estate market. The IMF = International Monetary Fund predicts that China's economic growth rate will remain at 4.8%.



By setting goals that exceed these forecasts and showing a policy to work on economic measures, President Xi Jinping aims to enter the unusual third term as the top of the Communist Party, and wants to strengthen the power base for the party convention in the second half. There seems to be some speculation.



Specifically, it says that it will support the economy with fiscal spending, etc., and will focus on infrastructure investment and reduce the tax burden on the scale of about 2.5 trillion yuan (45 trillion yen in Japanese yen) by tax cuts etc. And so on.



However, due to the situation in Ukraine, energy prices and raw material prices are rising, which may put pressure on corporate management, and the local infection of the new coronavirus continues, increasing uncertainty about the future economy. The focus is on how Xi Jinping's leadership will steer economic management.

Supporting the economy with fiscal spending

The government activity report shows the policy of supporting the economy by spending money.



Specifically, it plans to increase fiscal spending by more than 2 trillion yuan (about 36 trillion yen or more in Japanese yen), but due to increased tax revenues, the ratio of budget deficit to GDP was around 2.8% last year. I will lower it more.



In addition, the issuance limit of bonds for local governments to invest in infrastructure is RMB3.65 trillion (about 66 trillion yen), which is a large level compared to before the spread of the new coronavirus, and infrastructure development. I'm going to focus on.



In addition, by continuing tax cuts for small and micro enterprises and expanding the range and scope of tax cuts, the tax burden will be reduced to approximately 2.5 trillion yuan (45 trillion yen). It is said that.



On the other hand, regarding the real estate industry, where the deterioration of market conditions has led to an economic slowdown, "Housing is for living, not for speculation," while maintaining the policy of suppressing overheating of the market, land prices and housing prices, etc. It is said that it will stabilize the real estate market and promote a virtuous cycle and sound development of the real estate market.

Beijing Olympics "Successful Great Tournament"

The government activity report summed up the success of the Beijing Olympics, which was held last month, saying, "We have succeeded in a simple, safe and wonderful Games with all the preparations."



He also emphasized that the Beijing Paralympics, which began on the 4th, "will surely be successful."

Hong Kong's stance to strengthen control

The government activity report states that Hong Kong will continue to strengthen its control, stating that it will "steadily exercise the jurisdiction of the central party and firmly enforce the rule of patriots."



In addition, as a measure against the new coronavirus, it is said that it will strengthen epidemic prevention measures in coastal cities, keeping in mind that there are a series of Chinese who are trying to smuggle from Hong Kong, where the infection is spreading rapidly, to mainland China. It seems that it was done.

"Strict crackdown on kidnapping and human trafficking"

The government activity report addresses the issue of trafficking in women and children that is rampant in rural areas of China, saying, "We must crack down on criminal acts such as kidnapping and trafficking and protect the legal rights of women and children." I emphasized.



In January, a woman's husband was told that a video of a victim of trafficking was tied up in a chain in a rural area of ​​Jiangsu Province in the eastern part of China, and a video trapped in a hut spread on the Internet. In addition to being arrested, a large number of local officials were punished for leaving the problem unattended.



As a major ripple spread in China as a serious human rights violation, the Chinese government has re-emphasized its stance to eradicate human trafficking that is still rampant in rural areas.

Reduction of coal consumption Promotion of development of large-scale facilities for wind and solar power generation

According to the government activity report, coal consumption will be reduced and large-scale wind and solar power generation facilities will be developed to achieve goals such as carbon neutrality, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions to virtually zero by 2060. It is supposed to be promoted.



On the other hand, in light of the fact that power shortages occurred in various places last year due to soaring coal prices and tightening of environmental regulations, which affected the operation of factories, etc., the economy has shown an attitude of emphasizing stable energy supply. We are taking care to prevent the impact on the economy.

Increasing defense spending AI can also be used in the military field

As China continues to increase defense spending, it is said that it is focusing on the utilization of AI = artificial intelligence in the military field.



By using AI for weapons such as tanks and drones, it will be possible to autonomously search for and attack targets without human judgment.



In addition, by incorporating AI into the chain of command system, AI will be responsible for analyzing the situation on the battlefield, arranging troops, planning effective attack methods, etc., which is a more sophisticated and complicated operation than human judgment. It is said that it will be possible to carry out in a short time.



Regarding the use of AI for weapons, the development side insists that "the risk of endangering the lives of soldiers is reduced", while the opinion that it is okay to leave the judgment that may kill human lives to AI and the war There are also concerns that the hurdle to start with may be lowered.



For this reason, discussions on the introduction of regulations have begun at the United Nations, but it has been difficult due to the deep-rooted cautious opinions centered on countries and companies that are focusing on development.



China is said to be the world leader in AI development along with the United States, but Europe and the United States have expressed strong concern that development is proceeding rapidly without transparency.

Expert "We are focusing on developing science and technology that can be applied to the military"

Masafumi Iida, director of the National Institute for Defense Studies, National Institute for Defense Studies, who is familiar with China's security, said about the background of China's continued increase in defense spending. Looking at the recent discussions by the Chinese military, I think that AI and quantum technology are the keys to determining the outcome of future wars, and I think there is no doubt that we are focusing on developing science and technology that can be applied to the military. " I will point out.



On top of that, while looking at the conflicting United States, "AI is a field that has the potential to compete with the United States on an equal footing, and hopefully it can be one step ahead of the United States in terms of military and operational capabilities. I think he is focusing on it as a changer. "



In addition, he said that AI-based operations are expected even when using force against Taiwan. It could interfere with the coming US military, and it could also make fake videos to disseminate fake information and disrupt Taiwan's public opinion and politics. "



Regarding the impact on Japan, "If China wants to take some action in the future, it is expected that public opinion-based activities using AI will be sufficient before taking physical action, so that kind of thing will happen. Having the knowledge that many people have the knowledge of being able to do so will lead to increased tolerance as a society. "



On the other hand, regarding how China views Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, "If Russia can realize a change in the status quo by force in Ukraine, it may motivate China to do the same in East Asia. On the other hand, if it fails, it can be a factor that causes China to take similar actions. " ..