Podcasts about national people's congress

This year's National People's Congress (NPC) will start on Friday, March 5, and will last for about 2 weeks. In this podcast we provide a preview of the key policy issues for the NPC where we expect the government will set a floor growth target at 7-7.5% for 2021, leaving sufficient room to pursue its longer-term policy priorities. The 2021 budget will likely roll back about 60% of Covid-19 related stimulus measures. Nevertheless, government spending will likely increase 7% over last year, thanks to a strong fiscal revenue outlook.

Plans for gigantic government investments to decarbonise the world economy are gaining traction, but they may hinge on the US election results in November. Justin Rowlatt speaks to Spain's deputy prime minister Teresa Ribera about how her government aims to make the country carbon neutral by 2050, as well as a one-trillion-euro EU green recovery plan expected to be unveiled by the European Commission this week. Meanwhile in the US, the signs are that Democrat Joe Biden will adopt a climate change plan similar in scale to the original 1930s New Deal as the central plank of his election campaign, according to Vox journalist David Roberts. But what about the world's biggest carbon emitter, China? Justin asks Li Shuo of Greenpeace East Asia whether President Xi will prioritise green investments as part of his country's coronavirus recovery plan, currently being fleshed out at the National People's Congress. And what difference would the US election outcome make to China's willingness to phase out fossil fuels? Producer: Laurence Knight (Picture: Chinese women hold a hoe and a basket and smile while standing under a solar photovoltaic panel array; Credit: Jenson/Getty Images)

The annual National People's Congress got underway in Beijing on Friday amid what state media are calling 'wartime measures'. China correspondent Nathan van der Klippe joins the show to discuss this and China's Covid-19 response. 

The annual National People's Congress got underway in Beijing on Friday amid what state media are calling 'wartime measures'. China correspondent Nathan van der Klippe joins the show to discuss this and China's Covid-19 response. 

Energy security was already a hot issue in China well before the global oil price collapse and Covid crisis. Now, as the country listens to the government list its coming priorities during the long-delayed Two Sessions of the National People's Congress, energy security is topic Number One. In this episode, we sit down with Dr Michal Meidan, Director of the China Energy Programme at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES), to talk about China, energy security, and oil and gas markets. Before joining OIES in July 2019, she headed cross-commodity China research at Energy Aspects. Prior to that, she headed China Matters, an independent research consultancy providing analysis on the politics of energy in China. She is the author of numerous academic papers, articles, and books related to China, energy, and political economy. Dr Meidan is also a past speaker at the Beijing Energy Network and has memories of BEN going back over a decade.   Show notes:   China Key Themes for Energy in 2020 (written in January): https://www.oxfordenergy.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/China-Key-Themes-for-2020.pdf Geopolitical Shifts and China’s Energy Priorities, March 2020: https://www.oxfordenergy.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Geopolitical-shifts-and-Chinas-energy-policy-priorities.pdf Dr Meidan’s Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/michalmei Oxford Institute for Energy Studies podcast: China’s Rocky Road to Recovery: https://www.oxfordenergy.org/publications/chinas-rocky-road-to-recovery-2/

China Correspondent Bill Birtles is in Beijing watching the National People's Congress

The delayed National People's Congress will hear of China's efforts against the coronavirus.

A busy next few days for Chinese markets, with the National People's Congress kicking off in Beijing after months of delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Will Beijing address the growing tensions with the United States? And what does the recent downturn in Hong Kong's property prices mean for markets in the fabled financial centre? Peter Chun, founder of Silverbear Capital, stopped by to discuss.

China was the first country to go into a lockdown early this year and was also the first to emerge but can their economy restart? Gary Ng, Asia Pacific Economist at Natixis tells us what are the issues they face and the policy options available. He also tells us what we can expect at the important National People's Congress that will meet in May, where President Xi is likely to restate China's economic growth and future direction.

The World Health Organization has said the world should do more to prepare for a possible coronavirus pandemic. The WHO said it was too early to call the outbreak a pandemic but countries should be "in a phase of preparedness". A pandemic is when an infectious disease spreads easily from person to person in many parts of the world. More cases of the virus, which causes respiratory disease Covid-19, continue to emerge, with outbreaks in South Korea, Italy and Iran causing concern. However, most infections are in China, the original source of the virus, where more than 77,000 people have the disease and over 2,600 have died. More than 1,200 cases have been confirmed in about 30 other countries and there have been more than 20 deaths. Italy reported four more deaths on Monday, raising the total there to seven. Worldwide stock markets saw sharp falls because of concerns about the economic impact of the virus. China said it would postpone the annual meeting of the National People's Congress next month, to "continue the efforts" against the coronavirus. The body, which approves decisions made by the Communist Party, has met every year since 1978. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“For this very small city of 7 million people being able to stand up to this ruthless machine, for sure it is inspiring to other people in different countries.”- Denise Ho- - - - -Hong Kong has a complicated political history, which must be understood to understand the current protests.For 156 years, Hong Kong was under British rule, but on June 1st 1997, it was returned to Chinese sovereignty. As part of the handover negotiations, it was agreed that Hong Kong would operate under ’one country, two systems', a principal outlined in The Basic Law. The treaty agreed between China and Britain would maintain the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong for 50 years.In 2014, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress proposed reforms to the Hong Kong electoral system. These proposed changes were seen by many as oppressive and allow the pre-screening of political candidates by the Chinese Communist Party. As such, the people of Hong Kong recognised the changes as anti-democratic and a clear indication that Hong Kong had failed to achieve universal suffrage, outlined under Basic Law.What followed was a series of protests, often referred to as the Umbrella Revolution. Starting in September 2014 protesters demonstrated outside government buildings and brought the city to a standstill by occupying many key intersections which remained closed to traffic for 77 days. Police intervened, and their use of excessive force, tear gas and the brutality shown to protesters led to a backlash from the citizens and escalating tensions.Denise Ho, a Cantopop star and human rights activist, was an active supporter of the Umbrella Revolution. During the protests, Denise and a group of high profile demonstrators were arrested. For this and her action of speaking out against the Chinese authoritarian regime, the Chinese government blacklisted Denise.In 2019, Hong Kong again witnessed mass protests in response to the Hong Kong governments extradition bill. Extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China would put residents at risk of facing the Chinese justice system and thus a tool to suppress political opposition.Following months of violent protests, the Chinese government formally withdrew the Extradition Bill on October 23rd. While this appeared to outsiders as a victory for the people of Hong Kong, demonstrations are ongoing as protestors are seeking further protection of their rights:- The government to withdraw the use of the word "riot" instead of protest- Amnesty for protesters- An independent commission enquiry into police brutality- Universal suffrageIn this interview, I speak to Denise Ho, a singer, LGBTQI activist and pro-democracy campaigner from Hong Hong. We discuss the Umbrella Movement, the extradition bill protests, and how this has impacted the world.- - - - -Show notes and transcription:https://www.defiance.news/podcast/democratic-crisis-in-hong-kong-denise-ho- - - - -Timestamps:- 00:00 - Show Intro- 01:54 - Welcoming Denise to the show- 02:15 - Withdrawal of the extradition bill- 03:33 - Denise's background- 08:33 - Coming out as a member of the LGBTQ community- 09:37 - The transition from musician to activist- 11:51 - The Umbrella Movement- 16:47 - Denise's arrest during the Umbrella Movement protests- 19:17 - Being blacklisted by the Chinese government- 26:19 - The current protests in Hong Kong- 27:57 - Other protests around the world- 34:51 - The creative tactics used by the protesters- 37:32 - People being shot as protests escalate- 40:18 - The protester's demands- 44:14 - Denise's view on Hong Kong's future- 46:56 - Denise's work with the Human Rights Foundation- - - - -The success of Defiance will be largely down to the support of you, the listener. Below are a number of ways you can help:- Subscribe to the show on your favourite app so you never miss an episode:iTunesSpotifyDeezerStitcherSoundCloudYouTubeTuneIn- Leave a review of the show on iTunes (5* really helps, if you think the show deserves it).- Share the show and episodes out with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.- Follow Defiance on social media:TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube- Subscribe to the Defiance mailing list.- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5pIf you have any questions then please email Defiance.- - - - -

China is front and center in the news again, thanks to the trade negotiations, as well as the National People's Congress, during which the government said it would target GDP growth between 6 and 6.5 percent. Brad Setser of the Council on Foreign Relations joins us to talk about both of these topics, and how they played alongside each other.

The National People's Congress of China gathers today for ten days of deliberations. Tensions with the West over the trade war and disagreement about the role of technology giant Huawei will be in the background. Bosses are not always the most reliable narrators for an investor seeking to gain insight into a company. But there are new data sources that are making it harder for executives to mislead them. And an attic in France has yielded a find some claim to have been painted by the 17th century master Caravaggio. But how do we assess whether an unsigned, orphaned work is the real, very expensive deal? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The National People's Congress of China gathers today for ten days of deliberations. Tensions with the West over the trade war and disagreement about the role of technology giant Huawei will be in the background. Bosses are not always the most reliable narrators for an investor seeking to gain insight into a company. But there are new data sources that are making it harder for executives to mislead them. And an attic in France has yielded a find some claim to have been painted by the 17th century master Caravaggio. But how do we assess whether an unsigned, orphaned work is the real, very expensive deal? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jeffrey Halley, Senior Market Analyst, OANDA shares what investors should be keeping an eye on today, including the National People's Congress in China, The Shanghai Composite index rising and what is the likely outcome from the latest RBA meeting.

Today we're celebrating our 200th episode. A big thanks from us to you for listening! National People's Congress meets in Beijing; Bush fire conditions ease in Victoria; And the issue of youth unemployment.

Listen to the Sat. Sept. 16, 2017 edition of the Pan-African Journal: Worldwide Radio Broadcast hosted by Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire. The program features our regular PANW report with dispatches on the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) who greeted a delegation of voluntary teachers in the capital of Pyongyang; the South African Communist Party Central Committee has issued a statement in the aftermath of the conclusion of the 14th National Congress; in Zimbabwe the ruling ZANU-PF party is making preparations for the upcoming annual National People's Congress; and finally the North African state of Egypt is conducting military manuevers with Saudi Arabia as well as stengthening ties with Japan. In the second hour we focus on the literary contributions of African Americans with a rare archival broadcast interview with Langston Hughes during 1963. Finally we listen to a lecture from Elizabeth Alexander discussing the intellectual history of Black Women in the United States.

How did the original First Amendment in the Bill of Rights get lost to the sands of time? Don’t you want to know what the ONLY unratified amendment of the original TWELVE in the Bill of Rights was all about? In this episode, we cover Congressional apportionment, Puerto Rico, Mitch McConnell’s game of Risk™, China’s National People's Congress, and nihilism. This is Robot F. Kennedy. SHOW NOTES Steve King’s horrible, racist tweet: https://twitter.com/SteveKingIA/status/840980755236999169 Congressional Apportionment Amendment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Apportionment_Amendment The amendment was written by James Madison in 1789. Between 1791 and 1796, it was only one state short of ratification. As of 1992, it is the only one of the original twelve amendments that failed to gain the necessary 3/4ths ratification. Congressional district with the most people: Montana At-large (994,416) Congressional district with the fewest people: Rhode Island's 1st (526,283) The Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 http://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1901-1950/The-Permanent-Apportionment-Act-of-1929/ This law limits the size of the House of Representatives to 435. It was passed by a Republican Congress and signed by a Republican president to protect Republican majorities. List of Legislatures by Number of Members https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_legislatures_by_number_of_members

China has just laid out its 13th five-year plan, outlining its key themes and targets. Platts editorial director for China Sebastian Lewis says there were no huge surprises in the official announcements, but the next few years are expected to involve difficult decisions to drive the economy. In...

Most complaints made by Chinese consumers last year were about online shopping, a report from China's top legislative body said on Monday.中国最高立法机关于周一在一份报告中称，去年中国消费者的投诉大都是关于网上购物。The number of complaints and disputes related to shopping on the Internet rose sharply and the network has become a breeding ground for counterfeits, the report by a law enforcement team under the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress said.全国人民代表大会常务委员会执法检查组的一份报告称，与网上购物有关的投诉和争执的数量急剧增长，网络已经变成了滋生假冒产品的温床。In 2014, Chinese industrial and commercial authorities dealt with 78,000 complaints concerning online shopping, up 356.6 percent year-on-year.2014年，工商部处理了78,000件与网上购物相关的投诉，与去年同期相比增长了356.6%。Of the total of 20,135 cases taken on by consumer associations, 92.3 percent concerned online purchases, the report said. Yan Junqi, vice-chairwoman of the NPC Standing Committee, said: "Ignoring consumers' rights and selling counterfeits are very prominent in the online shopping industry."报告称，消费者协会总共受理案件20,135例，其中92.3%都是关于网上购物的。全国人大常委会副委员长严隽琪说：“网购产业中，无视消费者权利，出售假冒伪劣产品的现象十分严重。”She revealed that just 58.7 percent of products sold online were found to be authentic during a random inspection in 2014 by the State Administration of Industry and Commerce.她透露说，在2014年国家工商行政管理局的一次随机抽样检查中，网上出售的产品中只有58.7%是真实可信的。With the boom in complaints, the number of disputes caused by online purchases also went up, she said.严隽琪说，随着投诉量剧增，由网购造成的争端也越来越多。Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court has handled 107 such disputes since the revised Chinese Consumer Protection Law took effect on March 15 last year, she said. A typical example, from Anhui province's financial website, described how a woman surnamed Xu paid a 2,000 yuan ($316)deposit before she bought sanitary ware priced 1,000 yuan cheaper online than she could find elsewhere.严隽琪说，自去年3月15日修订后的《中华人民共和国消费者权益保护法》生效以来，北京市朝阳区人民法院已经处理了107起类似争端。安徽省的金融网站上有一个典型的例子：一位许姓女士在网上发现了一件卫生洁具，比别处卖得要便宜1000元，购买之前，她先付了2000元（316美元）订金。But when it was delivered, Xu found it was poor quality and she was told the deposit could not be repaid because it was a sale product.然而当货物送达时，许女士发现其质量极差，且许女士还被告知由于这件卫生洁具是特价商品，订金不予退还。Yan suggested that the Supreme People's Court should clarify the revised law by the end of this year and appealed to consumer associations to play their role.严隽琪建议，年底之前，最高人民法院应阐明修订后的法律，并呼吁消费者协会发挥好其作用。Qiu Baochang, head of the lawyers' group for the China Consumers' Association, said: "We are always overloaded with work since the revised law came into effect.中国消费者协会律师团团长邱宝昌说：“自修订后的法律生效以来，我们常常超负荷工作。”"We have asked officers to update their knowledge of the law and how the online industry works,including means of payment, to catch up with the pace at which e-commerce is developing."“我们已经要求相关办事人员更新其关于法律以及网购产业运作方式的知识，其中包括对支付方式的了解，以此来赶上电子商务发展的步伐。”

Xiaohua: At this year's two sessions, a real name system will be introduced for bottled water offered to National People's Congress deputies and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. So why is this being done? John: I wanna ask a different question: why is it that we should we care? Zhou Heyang: Of course we should care. First of all, this wasting public resources and wasting natural resources. Now with named bottle waters, at least these people will drink their waters and not waste. All those bottles of water we’ve actually seen in the past. John: If they are wasting natural resources, maybe we should just stop them from drinking water all together. Zhou Heyang: Then they will probably die of thirst and that’s not what we want. John: Maybe they should bring their own water. Zhou Heyang: That’s not really doable, I think, because other people are suggesting that people can bring their own mugs and cups to fill water John: That’s what I would do. If I’m gonna drink something, I can bring my tea with me, right? Zhou Heyang: I think it’s a good option but on the other hand just for convenience and not wasting our resources, bottled water with name tags on it sounds like a good idea. John: But it doesn’t seem like a very small thing when it comes to cutting waste. What you say makes some sense but it just seems like this kind of thing, because we talk about it last year .And last year it was kinda like “OKAY, this kind of thing make sense.” But now we are talking about it again? It just seems like it’s getting way too much hype for the story that it actually is. Xiaohua: Let’s first explain another bit of what exactly it is. So basically the real name system means these members and deputies, they will be given a bottle of water with their own names attached on the bottle and unless they can finish the first bottle, they can’t go and ask for a second bottle of water so this insures they finish their water and also no special waiters or waitress will be providing the hot water during the session which used to be the case. John: Okay. Zhou Heyang: It seems like a trivial small thing but actually I think it sort of reflects a general mood of the administration and also in the past few years we have heard of so-called scandals of these congress members .They actually enjoy very lavish kind of treatment and also they eat cake and drink champagne on the plane to Beijing, I don’t know, this is according to some reports. Xiaohua: It’s true. Zhou Heyang: I couldn’t believe it, these are public servants, right? Xiaohua: They always used to be there. It’s only that we are knowing it right now because it’s being scraped. John: No, we should also put it into a little bit historical context, I think. For example my wife is telling me when we were travelling back to her home town, we had soft sleepers. One of the things that she said was that when she was a kid, or maybe before that, soft sleepers are only for civil servants only for government officials so we were waiting in the special area that apparently was only reserved for government officials. This is true in her hometown at least ,not necessarily in Beijing but in her hometown. So we do have to put it in a little bit context because that’s kind of the background, the historical trend that was already in place was people who were part of government department were a civil servant ,they automatically received better treatment. So I guess in some ways we might say we are seeing here it is a bit symbolic and there is a change but I think it’s important to say and point out that it’s only actually symbolic. Saving water is good. Saving plastic bottles is good but when it comes to public spending in waste of tax payers’ money, I there are some bigger fishes to be frying here aren’t they? Zhou Heyang: That’s a very good point, but I think this time we are seeing small things adding up to a trend and it’s in line with the government’s frugality campaign. I think that is something as a common person I feel great to see. Such as no more lavish flowers settings, no more lavish overnight packages for these members to enjoy, like little toothpaste or toothbrushes and the whole package thing. That is gone. I think all these small things they save money and also it shows that there is a new style of working with the government is coming out. John: You are not wrong and I would not disagree with you, but I think we have to be asking the question: we are seeing a lot of changes on the surface, but what kind of substantive changes and what kind of deep, meaningful and longer-lasting changes are we seeing with these smaller ones? Zhou Heyang: I’d like to see these changes are made permanently and I hope that we can see more legislative or institutionalized legacy of this frugality campaign that has been going on since our President Xi jinping ascended it power. Xiaohua:I would say that we should publicize the accounts of the two sessions organizers spending of the Two Session. That would be a good start, I think.

The productivity of the U.S. non-farm workplace jumped at an annual rate of 4.9% in the third quarter, the fastest growth in four years. Unit labor costs, a key gauge of inflationary pressures from wages, fell at an annual rate of 0.2% in the period between July and September, the lowest in a year. Oil prices stalled in their climb toward $100 a barrel after a government report said oil inventories fell less than expected last week while refinery utilization remained flat. Gasoline inventories fell by 800,000 barrels last week, countering analyst expectations for an increase of 200,000 barrels. Sales generated by U.S. wholesale merchants increased faster than their inventories in September, driving their stockpiles to the lowest level ever in relation to sales. And according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, mortgage application volume fell 1.6 percent during the week ending Nov. 2nd. The MBA's application index fell to 670.6, from 681.7 the previous week.In Forex News Today The U.S. dollar stumbled to new lows after a top Chinese official called for the country to shift more of its huge foreign exchange stockpiles out of the struggling U.S. dollar. The vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress was quoted by wire services as saying China should shift more of its $1.43 trillion of currency reserves into "stronger currencies," such as the euro, to offset "weak" currencies like the dollar. The dollar has been weak over the last few months as the Federal Reserve has slashed interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point due to the credit crunch. The question in currency markets is now the degree to which China was signaling an official policy change. The European Central Bank is expected to keep its key rate at 4 percent tomorrow, while the Bank of England may hold borrowing costs at 5.75 percent. The euro -- introduced on financial markets in 1999 -- has risen from a low of 82 U.S. cents in October 2000 mainly because of concerns over the enormous U.S. trade and budget deficits and, now, the subprime crisis. It has also increasingly gained acceptance as a foreign currency reserve in the coffers of companies and governments from China to the Middle East.Scheduled Economic Reports (Thursday)Initial Jobless Claims (Week of November 3rd)In Earnings NewsGeneral Motors (GM) posted an overall net loss which amounted to $68.85 per share, compared with a net loss of $147 million, or 26 cents per share, in the third quarter of last year.Toyota's (TM) first-half profit to a company record, and the world's number two automaker raised its forecast for the full fiscal year. Toyota appears to be on track to surpass GM as the world's top automaker for a full year as soon as this year.Time Warner Inc. (TWX) reported a 53 percent decline in net income for the third quarter versus the same period a year ago, when results were boosted by tax and investment gains. The company earned $1.09 billion or 29 cents per share in the quarter.Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. (DTG) reported third-quarter profit nearly doubled on growth in vehicle rental revenue. Dollar Thrifty earned $11.3 million, or 48 cents per share, compared with $5.9 million, or 24 cents per share, for the same quarter in 2006.Scheduled Earnings Reports (Thursday)Walt Disney Co., Ford, Dean Foods, California Pizza Kitchen, Urban Outfitters, Station Casinos, Ballard Power, Clear Channel Communications, Priceline.com, Public StorageStocks in the NewsBMC Software (BMC) reported second-quarter profit of $78 million, or 39 cents a share, on revenue of $420.7 million.Foster Wheeler Ltd (FWLT) reported third-quarter net income rose 70% and declared a 2-for-1 stock split.W&T Offshore Inc (WTI) third-quarter net income fell 46% to $36.3 million, or 48 cents a share, from $66.7 million, or 91 cents a share, a year earlier.