Beijing To Lower Alert Level Ahead Of NPC Session

Beijing's municipal government said on Wednesday it will lower its Covid-19 emergency response level from Thursday, removing quarantine requirements for some people arriving from other low-risk parts of the country.

This comes as the mainland media reported that the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) will meet in Beijing on May 22.

The NPC is expected to discuss the anti-government protests in Hong Kong, amid growing speculation that Beijing is taking steps to strengthen its grip on the city, said a Reuters report.

But the economy will be the main focus of the annual session, which was delayed due to the coronavirus, which was first reported in Wuhan and then developed in to a worldwide pandemic that some fear will trigger a severe global recession.

The mainland’s economy contracted for the first time on record during the January-March period, when the government imposed severe travel and transport restriction to curb the spread of the epidemic.

The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), an advisory body to parliament, has proposed starting its annual session a day before the parliamentary session opens.

It is unclear how long parliament and its advisory body will meet for this time, and people familiar with the matter have said that this year's annual sessions could be the shortest in decades due to Covid-19 concerns.

Usually more than 5,000 delegates descend on Beijing from all over the mainland for at least 10 days.

City authorities in Beijing announced on Wednesday that it will lower its Covid-19 emergency response level effective from Thursday and will no longer require a 14-day quarantine for some people arriving from low-risk areas of the country, removing a logistics hurdle for delegates travelling to the capital for the key political meetings next month.

Arrivals from the virus epicentre of Hubei province as well as travellers coming from abroad are still required to complete a 14-day quarantine, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Top Communist Party leaders including President Xi Jinping attend each year's gathering with thousands of delegates from across the country, to rubber-stamp bills, budgets and personnel moves already decided by the party.

This is a show of strength," said Hong Kong-based political analyst Willy Lam.

"It's a sign that China is back on its feet, and the economic machinery keeps humming, and a big reassurance to the people that the epidemic is over."

Lam said the announcement was also aimed at the domestic audience, to reassure Chinese citizens after a sharp 6.8 percent contraction in the first quarter's economic growth. (AFP, Reuters)