MKS sports opening meeting of the third session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 4, 2025. Photo: CNS" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2025/2025-03-04/e2addebc-3850-46c1-b31a-d6dbf9a983ca.jpeg" />

The opening meeting of the third session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 4, 2025. Photo: CNS

China's top political advisory body opened its annual session on Tuesday and the nation's top legislature published agenda of its annual session on the same day, fully ushering the country into the "two sessions" time.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders attended the opening meeting of the third session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, which commenced at 3 pm at the Great Hall of the People.

At the meeting, the agenda for the session was reviewed and approved.

Wang Huning, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, delivered a work report on behalf of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee.  

The third session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC will begin 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 on Monday.

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.

Also on Tuesday, the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, held a press conference, where Lou Qinjian, spokesperson for the third session of the 14th NPC, briefed the press on the agenda of the session scheduled from March 5 to 11. 

Reporters from home and abroad lined up outside the Great Hall of the People hours ahead of the press conference, as the NPC annual session offers an important opportunity to get insights in China's key policy priorities of the year. According to Lou, agenda of third session of 14th NPC included to deliberate the report on the work of the government and review the report on the execution of the central and local budgets for 2024 and on the draft central and local budgets for 2025, and the draft central and local budgets for 2025.

Three press conferences regarding China's diplomacy, economy and people's livelihood will be held during the session.

Lou took 13 questions from domestic and foreign media on Tuesday, ranging from China's economic prospect and defense budget, to US' imposition of tariffs and China's relations with the US and the Europe.  

Observers noted that the two sessions this year are expected to chart the blueprint for China to advance Chinese modernization, as well as inject certainty into a world troubled by geopolitical and economic turbulence. 

"Full confidence"   

China's economy is underpinned by a stable foundation, multiple advantages, strong resilience and great potential. Despite the adverse impacts brought about by the external environment and the continued challenges facing the economy, the supporting conditions and fundamental trends for long-term sound economic development have not changed, Lou said at press conference on Tuesday, voicing "full confidence" in the country's economic prospects.

China has a supersized domestic market and a complete industrial system, with ample room for the upgrades of demand, structure and growth drivers, providing strong support for economic development and ensuring sufficient flexibility to navigate various risks and challenges, Lou said, adding the country is at a critical stage of growth driver transition amid the emergence of new drivers.

Over a question regarding China's private economy promotion law, Lou said we will carefully revise the draft private economy promotion law based on the deliberation by the NPC Standing Committee, as well as opinions and suggestions from various sectors and work for the early promulgation of the law.

Ma Jiantang, a member of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC, also former Party chief of the Development Research Center of the State Council, told reporters that it is expected that private sector's confidence and vitality will be further lifted and the sector is set to contribute more to the overall economy. 

Wang Lizong, also 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 Tuesday that when larger private Chinese companies can dock with academies, government, industry associations and intermediaries pretty well, "how small- and micro-sized private firms, as well as startups, can also benefit from these interactions would be my concern at the two sessions."

Lou also answered a question regarding DeepSeek at Tuesday's press conference, saying that DeepSeek's adherence to an open-source technological approach has driven the global application of AI technology through open sharing, contributing "Chinese wisdom" to the world.

DeepSeek is empowering a wide range of sectors in China, giving smaller companies in various fields more efficiency at low costs, Liu Shangxi, a member of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Following this path, DeepSeek will lead to a sustained and pervasive positive impact on efficiency across various fields and to a significant reduction in costs, it will also cast an impact on the global economy via influencing China, said Liu.

Mazen Aslam, a reporter from Egypt who is covering the two sessions, told the Global Times the emergence of DeepSeek is important as it represents a new, open model of cooperation that is different from the US approach. 

Injecting certainty 

In addition to domestic issues, the two sessions serve as an important window to observe China's interactions with the world. International news outlets are paying close attention to this important event "as world order roils," as the Guardian put it.  

CNBC said that China kicks off the two sessions "as investors watch for clues on economic policy." It added that "the highly anticipated event comes as tariff threats from US President Donald Trump's administration loom large."

The Tuesday NPC press conference started at 12pm, roughly around the time when US' additional tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China took effect. 

In response to a question related to the tariffs and China-US relations, Lou said China stands ready to work with the US to address each other's concerns through dialogue and consultation on the basis of mutual respect, equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit, but "will never accept any act of pressuring or threatening," Lou said.

Regarding China-Europe diplomatic and trade relations under the US new administration, Lou said the healthy and stable development of China-Europe relations aligns with the fundamental and long-term interests of both sides, as well as the common expectations of the international community. "China-Europe relations are not targeted at, dependent on, nor subject to any third party," Lou said. 

As a developing country and a member of the Global South, China has always stood with the Global South, Lou said. "World peace and development still face severe challenges," China is committed to promoting a community with a shared future for mankind and accelerating the implementation of the three global initiatives - namely the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.

Nigerian reporter Raphael Oni told the Global Times at the Great Hall of the People that he looks forward to hearing more about China's policies to boost economy and overall development. China has become a world leader in many fields, and China's development can also bring about benefits and opportunities to its partners, including many countries in Africa, Oni said. 

Keith Bennett, Vice Chairman of the 48 Group Club and a veteran China watcher, told the Global Times that what we will see at the two sessions is that China is prepared for any challenge… Faced with the unpredictable behavior of the US, even other developed economies will more deeply appreciate that China is a steady, reliable and trustworthy partner.

China's defense budget is a closely-watched topic at two sessions. China's defense budget for 2025 will be revealed after the NPC annual session opens on Wednesday, but Lou said on Tuesday that China's defense spending has maintained single-digit growth for nine years running, and its share as a percentage of GDP has been kept under 1.5 percent for many years, lower than the global average.

A consistent message conveyed by China is that by advocating a win-win philosophy, China is not only serious about its own development, but also about supporting the economic development of other countries. It also actively participates in global governance, achieving both national interests and shouldering global responsibilities as a major power, Yury Tavrovsky, head of "Russian Dream-Chinese Dream" analytic center of the Izborsk Club, told the Global Times.