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China’s National People’s Congress: Hyperbole and Skepticism

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China’s National People’s Congress: Hyperbole and Skepticism
A general view as delegates attend the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11, 2025. China's annual political gathering, known as the Two Sessions, convenes leaders and lawmakers annually to set the regime's agenda for domestic economic and social development for the year. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
June Teufel Dreyer
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Commentary

The weeklong meeting of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) concluded on March 11. Although accurately described as a rubber stamp body, it is closely watched because the policies that are rubber-stamped give important clues to the leadership’s goals for the year ahead.

June Teufel Dreyer
June Teufel Dreyer
Author
June Teufel Dreyer is a professor of politics at the University of Miami, a senior fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, a faculty adviser to the Rumsfeld Foundation, and a former commissioner of the congressionally-mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Her books include studies on China’s ethnic minorities, Sino-Japanese relations, a comprehensive treatment of Chinese government now in its 10th edition, and an edited volume on Taiwan politics.