Crippling smog, terrorist attacks and rampant corruption… but it’s all smiles and theatre at Chinese Communist Party’s annual gathering
The National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing is attended by 3,000 Communist Party delegates
- Outside in Tiananmen Square, delegates from China's ethnic minorities showed off their traditional attire
- On the agenda was tackling pollution, government corruption and terrorism
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By BEN ENDLEY
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As China's most senior politicians gathered in Beijing's imposing Great Hall of the People to discuss the most serious and destructive issues affecting the country's 1.35billion residents, outside, a carnival was in full swing.
The opening session of China's annual National People's Congress (NPC) saw 3,000 Communist Party delegates from across the country meet to
address long-running issues of choking smog, the new threat of terrorism and how to promote unity among the country's ethnic minorities.
address long-running issues of choking smog, the new threat of terrorism and how to promote unity among the country's ethnic minorities.
But outside in Tiananmen Square stewardesses jumped for joy while delegates posed for photographers in their traditional regional dress at the start of the event - which has been described as China's political theatre.
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Chinese hostesses jump for joy in Beijing's Tiananmen Square during the opening session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing
Delegates and officials from across China gather in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing while political theatre takes place outside
A delegate from one of China's ethnic minorities arrives ahead of the opening session of the National Peoples Congress (NPC) in Beijing
Chinese police riding Segways pose for photographers outside the Great Hall of the People
Around 3,000 delegates from across China arrived in Beijing for the Communist Party gathering, many wore traditional attire from their region
Chinese minority delegates from Yunnan Province leave after the first session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People
Chinese hostesses pose for photographers while inside the new Communist Party leadership and is facing intractable problems including corruption, slowing economic growth and tensions with neighboring countries
Before the meeting started delegates paused to observe a moment of silence for the 29 people killed and 143 wounded in a terrorist attack at a train station in Kunming last week.
In his first annual policy speech, Premier Li Keqiang vowed to move more people into the middle class, cut government waste and fight rampant official corruption.
Li also promised to address issues of pollution that has seen stifling smog spread across China fouling of the country's air, water and soil.
He said: The government will work harder to reduce pollution by shutting more coal-fired furnaces and controlling the tainting of rivers.'
In spite of the theatrical atmosphere security was tight - a paramilitary police officer (pictured) salutes as he stands guard in Tiananmen Square
Military delegates arrive for the National People's Congress (NPC) during which the government announced a 12.2 percent increase in military spending, taking the total to $132 billion
A member of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) military band performs during the opening session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) where delegates convened to discuss problems including corruption, slowing economic growth and tensions with China's neighbours
Security around the Great Hall of the People was also tight with police checking vehicles entering Tiananmen Square
Li did not specifically mention Saturday's attack in his policy report, but said China would toughen its controls on public order, 'crack down hard on violent crimes of terrorism, safeguard China's national security, create good public order and work together to ensure public security in China.'
Chen Fengxiang, a delegate from Hubei, said during the session that the government would take stronger preventative measures following the attack by black-clad assailants wielding large knives.
He went on: 'They lost their senses, and we must crack down harshly and take strict measures in preventing the violence.
Li also outlined plans to make the world's second-largest economy more open and competitive while increasing military spending by 12.2 per cent to $132 billion.
The government said it would increase the defence budget by 12.2 percent this year to $131.57 billion, as China seeks to develop more high-tech weapons and to beef up coastal and air defences
A Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) officer prepares to conduct the military band at the National People's Congress (NPC)
Plain clothes security officers were clearly present outside the Great Hall of the People during the NPC
Some of the 3,000 Communist Party delegates leaving the opening session of the NPC
In a further show of worsening diplomatic relations between China and Japan Li accused Tokyo of renewed militarism and referenced the country's history as an aggressor during World War II.
'We will safeguard the victory of World War II and the postwar international order, and will not allow anyone to reverse the course of history,' Li said.
The increase follows a nearly unbroken 20-year run of double-digit hikes in the Chinese defence budget, which is now second only to the United States in size.
'This is worrying news for China's neighbours, particularly for Japan,' said Rory Medcalf, a regional security analyst at the Lowy Institute in Sydney.
Those who thought China might prefer to concentrate on domestic development over military expansion in a slowing economy had "underestimated the Chinese determination to shape its strategic environment", he added.
Within hours of the announcement, officials in Japan and Taiwan questioned the absence of any details on how Beijing will spend the money - concerns long echoed in Washington with China's defence budgets.
Immaculately dressed stewardesses posed for the cameras outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing
Delegates and officials gather for the Second Session of the 12th National Peoples Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Wednesday
China's annual show of political theater took on special significance as it is the first under the new Communist Party leadership
Chinese hostesses provide an aerial pose for photographers in Tiananmen Square
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