The NPC meetings typically last about a week, with government officials setting a growth and fiscal deficit target.

An advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, will meet at the same time. Members include business leaders, athletes, academics, religious leaders and representatives of ethnic groups. The concurrent meetings of the two bodies are known as the Two Sessions.

A key moment in the NPC will be Premier Li Qiang’s announcement of China’s official economic growth target for 2025. Analysts widely expect it to remain around 5%, consistent with the past two years, despite ongoing challenges in China’s real estate sector, weak consumer spending, and global trade tensions.

China’s annual major political event gets underway this week, bringing together the nation’s top leaders and thousands of provincial leaders to endorse decisions already made by the