‘Premier Li Qiang will not hold a news conference at the end of the National People’s Congress (NPC), a break from an over 30-year-old tradition that closes one of the few windows on government policymaking’ said China on Monday.
Lou Qinjian, spokesman for the NPC, China’s top legislative body, said, ‘The practice will also be removed for future years of the current National People’s Congress term barring exceptional circumstances’.
‘I would not rule out some desire for Li to avoid awkard questions about China’s economic slowdown and demographic crisis’, said Ja Ian Chong, an assistant professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.
‘The further reduction in transparency may allow the Communist Party to better manage information, but it’s likely to also fuel greater speculation’.
The press conference – first held in 1988 and established as a customary practice in 1993 – is one of the most anticipated events of the annual two sessions when the top political advisory body and legislature meet.
It’s one of the rare occasions when a top Chinese leader takes questions from local and international media.
Comments