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THE DAILY HERALD, Thursday, March 16, 2017 International 29

BEIJING--China’s annual ratcheted still tighter, while cruises to the Paracel Is-
parliament followed a tight a crackdown on civil rights lands.
script with no surprises and lawyers silenced some of While officials in that fo-
little drama, evidence of the few challenging voices. rum have in the past been
President Xi Jinping’s ever The mighty military has also open to questions from
firmer grip ahead of a party been kept in check, with Xi foreign journalists, the only
congress later this year that assuming the position of foreigner allowed a ques-
could bring more of his al- Commander in Chief last tion this time was from Rus-
lies into the top leadership year while pushing through sia. And prickly questions
team. a modernising programme on leadership changes in
Potential successors were that reorganised its com- the autumn were ruled out
kept on the sidelines, for- mand structure and will see in advance. “Don’t bother
eign journalists often ig- 300,000 troops demobilised. asking,” one Chinese offi-
nored and speculation Xi pressed the point with cial told Reuters.
hushed through the 10 days a high-profile visit to the As if to avoid giving fuel to
of the rubber-stamp Nation- People’s Liberation Army speculation, Xi was conspic-
al People’s Congress, which delegation in parliament, uously absent from meet-
ended on Wednesday, as it calling for greater techni- ings of the provincial del-
began, without incident. cal innovation as part of the egations from Guangdong,
Premier Li Keqiang set the modernisation programme. Chongqing and Guizhou,
tone in an opening speech A screen shows China’s President Xi Jinping during the second plenary session of the Nation- Topics that might have from which some of the hot-
on March 5, with social and al People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China March 8, 2017. caused a stir at the parlia- test candidates for elevation
economic stability the top ment, such as China’s poli- to the PSC are based. When
priority as the leadership slowing defence spending Standing Committee (PSC), This time there were no cies in the South China Sea, he did speak to delegates,
targeted modestly slower and comments on political is an opportunity for Xi to distractions and no open where it has been building he made much of his four-
growth and the building of intrigue at the top. No ex- demonstrate just how thor- dissent, with alternative military structures on atolls year campaign against cor-
a “firewall” against financial planation was provided. oughly he has consolidated power centres brought to also claimed by some of ruption, a drive that has
risks arising from record “Xi does not want any un- power since taking the reins heel over the intervening its neighbours, were side- proved popular in the coun-
lending and a speculative expected drama ahead of in late 2012. In early 2012, years. Bo was jailed for life stepped in at least one ses- try while cementing his au-
property boom. Controver- the congress and has gone his last parliament before in 2013, and his powerful sion where there had been thority over party discipline.
sy, criticism of the leader- out of his way to ensure a taking over as party boss ally in the PSC, domestic discussion before. At the “Fasten the seatbelt of in-
ship and chit-chat were off low-key parliament,” said a was overshadowed by the security chief Zhou Yong- open media session for del- corruptibility,” he told law-
the agenda. senior Beijing-based West- brewing corruption scandal kang, was put under inves- egates from the island of makers from the southwest-
There was no open session ern diplomat. that ended up engulfing the tigation for corruption the Hainan, which is in charge ern province of Sichuan,
of the ‘friendship with for- The five-yearly congress, charismatic and ambitious following year. of administering China’s is- where the disgraced Zhou,
eign countries’ delegation to which will bring fresh blood Communist Party chief of The media were ordered to lands in the region, officials who was eventually jailed
parliament’s advisory body, into the top ranks of the par- Chongqing, Bo Xilai, who show their loyalty to the par- only tangentially touched for life in 2015, had his pow-
a forum that in past years ty machinery, including the had been tipped by many ty line last year, and already on the disputed waterway er base.
has seen complaints about seven-member Politburo for a top job. strict internet controls were when mentioning pleasure