A busy week observing the window into world of politics
For journalists from home and abroad, the two sessions－China's biggest annual political event－are a bit like media Olympics.
The event is a feast of news and offers an excellent window for observing China, but also creates fierce competition among reporters, who each tries to produce the best news from the same sources.
They compete for the chance to interview, to raise questions at conferences and to get the best position to shoot photos and videos. What they produce shows which of them really has a sense for the news.
Although this year's two sessions lasted a little longer than a week as a result of the epidemic, media competition was no easier. Reporters had plenty of homework to do to familiarize themselves with NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members and their backgrounds in order to be able to ask the right questions.
At the two sessions, national lawmakers and political advisers discuss major issues ranging from economic growth to defense expenditures. They also keep a close watch on matters directly related to daily life, such as preferential policies to help families have more children. Many of their comments trigger heated public discussion after being reported in the media.
A series of heavyweight media events are also held during the two sessions. Customarily, the spokespersons of the NPC and CPPCC sessions hold news conferences one day ahead of the official opening. During the sessions, China's foreign minister meets reporters to take questions on diplomatic relations, and the premier holds an annual news gathering after the NPC session ends.
I attended this year's first news conference held by the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on March 3.
Spokesman Guo Weimin answered queries on hot topics such as China's GDP growth and dynamic zero-COVID policy. He answered with facts and data and didn't sidestep sensitive topics or existing problems.
I got a chance to bring up a question about whether China and the United States are competing for the power of discourse on democracy. In reply, Guo made it clear that democracy is not the privilege of particular countries, and the US is using the name of democracy to serve its own interests and divide the world.
"Democracy has diverse forms and is not exclusive to a few countries. The democratic system of each country should be chosen by the people of that country according to their own national conditions. What's suitable is the best," he said, which was enlightening to me.
Apart from the heavyweight conferences, many ministers walk the "Ministers' Passage" in the Great Hall of the People, where they can be stopped by reporters. This year, six ministers held mini-news conferences in the passage.
As most reporters were unable to attend in person or meet interviewees face-to-face due to epidemic controls, online interviews became an important way of getting news.
During a video link interview ahead of the opening of the NPC session on March 5, some deputies, including a grasslands fire station worker, a farmer-writer, a primary school principal, a welder and a mail handler, shared their stories in live-broadcast interviews.
Chai Shanshan, the mail handler, shared his story of becoming involved in mediating a dispute between a courier and a pedestrian he had accidentally knocked over. As a result, the Shanghai deputy came to understand the complex nature of employment for outsourced couriers. He collected more information and shared the concerns of the couriers during a motion he made at the NPC last year. These concerns were included in a guideline issued last year by several ministries on better safeguarding labor security and the interests of workers in new forms of employment.
This year's two sessions are now approaching its end. I'm proud of having been a two sessions reporter as I was able to hear so many vivid stories and insightful opinions and share them in my articles.
