EVENTS

The “two sessions” (两会) in March 2024 took place at a critical juncture in China’s post COVID-19 economic recovery. Continuing economic problems, particularly local government debt, sluggish housing market, and weak demand, pose serious challenges to policymakers. On the other hand, rising tensions in commercial and trade relations with the US and its European allies constrain the policy space for the Party-state. The dilemmas presented by the economic situation partly explain the postponement of the third plenum of the 20th Party Congress to July 2024. The central government has responded with a mix of strategies amid the ongoing overhaul of the financial and regulatory institutions as part of the quinquennial reform of party and state institutions. In the run-up to the Third Plenum, this panel discussion will explore and analyze the priorities, challenges, and future policy directions for the Party-state.

About the Speaker

Bhim Subba is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad, and an Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. He holds a PhD/M. Phil. in East Asian Studies from the University of Delhi and an MA in Political Science from Jawaharlal Nehru University. His research interests focus on China studies (domestic politics and party organization), comparative politics, and international affairs. He has publications in several journals, edited books, review blogs, online commentaries, and news media.

Devendra Kumar is an Associate Fellow at the Center of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi-NCR. His research focuses on cadre management in ethnic minorities regions, socio-economic programs in border counties, and the political legitimacy of the Community Party of China.

Aravind Yelery is an Associate Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and holds a PhD in Chinese Studies. He is also Visiting Faculty at the Fudan School of Management, Shanghai, and an Honorary Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies. In 2019, he won the Best Courseware Project Funds Award at Peking University. He has co-edited Tailspin: The Politics of India-China Economic Relations (London: Routledge, 2021) and authored China Inc.: Between State Capitalism and Economic Statecraft (New Delhi: Pentagon Press, 2021).

About the Chair

Anand P. Krishnan is a Fellow, at the Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi, National Capital Region, and a Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies, Delhi. His research interests are labour relations in China and India, labour and supply chains in the Global South, state-society relations, and labour’s interface with urban questions in East and South Asia.

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