MKsports spokesperson for the third session of the 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, attends a press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 3, 2025. The CPPCC National Committee, China's top political advisory body, held a press conference on Monday, one day before its annual session. Photo: VCG" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2025/2025-03-03/4bcc7f6f-f734-4725-9a21-cf4e3e6afd38.jpeg" />

Liu Jieyi, spokesperson for the third session of the 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, attends a press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 3, 2025. The CPPCC National Committee, China's top political advisory body, held a press conference on Monday, one day before its annual session. Photo: VCG

The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, China's top political advisory body, held a press conference on Monday, one day before its annual session, as the eyes of the world turn to China for the two sessions.

The third session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC will begin at 3 pm on Tuesday and conclude on the morning of March 10, Liu Jieyi, spokesperson for the third session of the 14th National Committee of CPPCC, said.

During the session, national political advisors will hear and deliberate a report on the work of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee and a report on the handling of proposals, according to the spokesperson.

They will also sit in on the third session of the 14th National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, which is scheduled to open on Wednesday, and later discuss key documents, including the highly anticipated government work report.

The 2025 CPPCC National Committee session includes plenary meetings and group consultations. Diplomatic envoys to China will be invited to observe the opening and closing meetings, said Liu.

Over the past year, national political advisors have focused their efforts on the country's modernization drive, offered suggestions on state affairs and fostered broader consensus, he said.

They have visited villages, factories and communities, turning grassroots opinions and suggestions into policy options that inform the decision-making of the Party and the government, said Liu.

To support modernization, reform and high-quality development while ensuring social harmony, the CPPCC National Committee carried out 42 research projects on major issues, held 85 consultations and deliberations, and processed over 5,000 proposals over the past year, according to the spokesperson.

China's global role

China's two sessions is also on the watchlist of global media.

Highlighting China's vital role in the global economy, a Bloomberg report on Monday noted that the two sessions will "chart the course for global commodities prices" given the country's status as the world's biggest consumer of raw materials.

The CNBC is focusing on whether China will lay out stimulus plans for its economy.

The Straits Times pays attention to China's trade frictions with the US, saying that "all eyes are on China's plans to reinvigorate the economy amid trade frictions with the US." It said analysts also do not expect China to reveal all the cards it has at the moment, given that the full extent of the tariffs that the US is expected to unleash is not known yet.  

Reuters, in an article on Monday, zoomed in on how China could boost the consumption sector. It quoted analysts as saying that potential costs in the trillions of dollars and risks that reform could bring instability are making officials wary of bold policy decisions.

Afework Eyayu, a journalist with Fana Media Corporation from Ethiopia said that he expects China-Africa relations to further grow.

"I look forward to hearing China's contribution to the world in today's multilateral world," said Eyayu, who asked a question about the CPPCC's role in promoting foreign exchanges at the press conference.

Wichai Kinchong Choi, senior vice president of Thailand's Kasikorn Bank, said that the current global situation is marked by uncertainties and challenges, and there are indeed many topics to be discussed at the two sessions. 

Maintaining the sustained and stable development of the Chinese economy and overcoming the constraints and curbs imposed by some Western countries on China's economic growth are likely to be key points of discussion, Choi said.

"With a population of nearly 700 million, and an important role in the global industrial and supply chains, ASEAN has become a major global economic player. China has many friends in ASEAN with time-honored friendships, and how to consolidate and expand the emerging ASEAN market is believed to be a key point in China's diplomacy and international trade in the coming years," Choi noted.

Strong resilience

While the internal and external environments are undergoing profound and complex changes, and China's economic operation faces some difficulties and challenges, it is important to recognize that China's economic fundamentals remain stable, with many advantages, strong resilience, and great potential, Liu told the press.

Commenting on China's economic prospects, Liu told a packed audience that the conditions supporting long-term positive growth and the fundamental trend of the Chinese economy remain unchanged.

He said the country will continue to steadily expand institutional opening up, deepen foreign trade structural reform, optimize the layout for regional opening up, and improve the mechanism for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Over the past year, China has deepened the integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, accelerated the modernization of its industrial system, and made remarkable achievements in developing new quality productive forces, Liu said.

Noting that new quality productive forces serve as the strong engines driving China's high-quality development, Liu called for continued efforts to further unleash their dynamism.

According to an online survey by financialnews.com.cn, a media outlet affiliated with the People's Bank of China (PBC), the central bank, nearly 40,000 respondents said their top issues of interest for the upcoming two sessions are the economic growth target, followed by the wrapping-up of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period, and moderately loose monetary policy, artificial intelligence, bolstering consumption, capital market occupied the 4th, 5th, and 6th spots.

"This year, we will look out for three things: annual targets, fiscal budget and the press conference [on economic affairs]," Xing Zhaopeng, senior China strategist with ANZ Research, told the Global Times on Monday.

Despite various challenges, the economy remains on a strong trajectory, with more tailwinds than headwinds, Tian Yun, a veteran economist, told the Global Times on Monday.

Data from the fourth quarter of 2024 indicated a clear rebound in economic activity, with exports continuing to drive growth. Notably, trade in services emerged as a bright spot, greatly surpassing market expectations and showing strong momentum, Tian said, adding that global geopolitical tensions are likely to ease and the global shift toward a new rate-cutting cycle this year also provides favorable conditions.

Employment, wealth distribution, and market opening will be key areas of focus moving forward. For instance, a higher level of opening-up will not only support short-term economic growth but also lay the foundation for China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). More importantly, it will further strengthen China's position in the evolving global industrial landscape, Tian noted.

Support for the private sector will also be a highlight, according to some political advisors. Half a month before the annual sessions of China's top legislature and political advisory body, a high-level symposium on private enterprises was convened, sending a signal of strong support for private businesses.

Wang Lizong, a member of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC and the president of the Guangdong High-tech Industry Chamber of Commerce, told the Global Times on Monday that he expects measures for promoting the private sector economy to be one of the highlights of this year's two sessions.

The other top topics may include high-level opening up, legal construction, social security against the backdrop of an ageing population, and the buildup of ecological civilization, Wang said.

Five key Chinese regulatory bodies, including the PBC and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, convened a high-level symposium on Friday, pledging robust financial support for the high-quality growth of the private economy, according to a PBC statement released on Sunday.

The symposium called for increased credit allocations to private, small- and micro-enterprises and further streamlining of diverse financing channels for private enterprises, including equity, bonds and loans, per the statement.