As expected, the National People's Congress in March voted in Wen Jiabao as China's new premier and Hu Jintao as president. The 60-year old Wen succeeded Zhu Rongji, who has retired after spending five years running the day-to-day tasks of government. Hu Jintao, also 60 years old and selected as general secretary of the Communist […]
Category: Politics & Society
In his last speech to the National People's Congress as premier, Zhu Rongji warned delegates that China could not afford to neglect the problems of rural areas. He said that if conditions in the countryside were not improved, farmers would be discouraged from producing, which would threaten the health of the whole economy. One measure […]
Xiang Huaicheng, the outgoing finance minister, said that the government's budget for 2003 included Yn185.3bn for defence, 9.6 per cent more than in 2002. The rate of increase is far less than the 17.6 per cent recorded last year and military delegates to the National People's Congress said outside the meeting that this was too […]
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Army numbers to fall again
The Central Military Commission is considering a proposal to cut the number of people serving in the People's Liberation Army by several hundred thousand, South China Morning Post said. The main target of the cuts would be institutions such as military academies. The process is expected to be completed by early next year. Hong Kong-based […]
described as a moderniser who has spent most of his career managing and purchasing weapons, most recently in the area of high-tech equipment. Prior to this he was minister of the commission of science, technology and industry for national defence, a now defunct agency that provided a link between the PLA and China's defence industries.