EVENTS

The annual ‘Two Sessions’—comprising the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)—serve as the central institutional platform for articulating and legitimizing the policy direction of the People's Republic of China. This year the gatherings reflected a few salient points like –transiting from high-speed growth to high-quality development, and introduced the concept of “creating new forms of smart economy”. This Wednesday Seminar presentation examines the role of the ‘Two Sessions’ in shaping the framework of national development law, with particular emphasis on how legislative priorities align with broader state objectives such as economic modernisation, technological self-reliance, and social stability. It argues that the Two Sessions function not merely as formal legislative gatherings but as strategic mechanisms through which the Chinese Communist Party consolidates policy coherence and legal authority. This is reflected in two significant developments, first is the promulgation of a new law aimed at institutionalising China’s planning mechanism as a cornerstone of national development alongside the ethnic unity law and a shifting narrative regarding the importance that China attaches to developing its relations with India. By analysing recent policy documents, legislative outputs, and institutional reforms, the presentation explores how national development law in China reflects a hybrid governance model, blending centralised political control with adaptive legal instruments to address domestic and global challenges. Ultimately, it underscores the significance of the ‘Two Sessions’ in institutionalising long-term development strategies and reinforcing the legal architecture of state-led growth in contemporary China.

Speaker

Bhavna Singh is Fellow at the Chintan Research Foundation (CRF), New Delhi. She was a Senior Fellow at the Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China, under the CSC Language Scholarship from 2023 to 2025. She was awarded her PhD in Chinese Nationalism from the Centre for East Asian Studies, JNU, New Delhi. She is the author of China’s Discursive Nationalism: Contending in Softer Realms (PP: 2012). She has co-edited a volume on India, China and Sub-regional Connectivities in South Asia (Sage, 2015) and edited The BRI and the Indo-Pacific: Reinventing Traditions (Knowledge World: Routledge 2025). Her research interests include China’s domestic and foreign policy, with special focus on ethnic nationalism and socio-cultural issues.

Chair

Bhim B. Subba is Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Telangana. He holds a PhD from the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi. His research interests are China studies (domestic politics), comparative studies, East Asian politics, and international affairs. Dr. Subba is also an Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, and Book Review Editor for the China Report, published by Sage.

Please register for the lecture here