China to push new, more balanced economy at annual NPC meeting

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2004

BEIJING, March 4 (AFP) — China's new leaders are likely to use the annual session of the National People's Congress starting Friday as a platform to cement a new, more balanced approach to managing the economy, analysts say.

In an attempt to head off rising discontent that could threaten the stability of the country and the Communist Party's legitimacy, they will use the next 10 days to make their case for a changed economic focus.

"This is the (first) NPC session after all the personnel changes (at party and state level) and it's the right time for the new leaders to concentrate on new policies," said Joseph Cheng, a political scientist at City University of Hong Kong.

"It also coincides with them spelling out a set of strategies for the new stage of...