All eyes are on China as the most important gatherings on China's political calendar, the Two Sessions, are set to begin. 

The country's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), and the top political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), will hold their respective sessions to review the government's work in the last year and finalize the country's priorities for the year ahead.

Specifically, the fourth annual session of the 13th NPC and that of the 13th CPPCC National Committee will begin on March 5 and March 4, respectively. 

This year's gatherings are particularly important as 2021 marks the start of a new and the 14th five-year plan (FYP) for the country as well as the 100th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

At this critical time point, what's on the Two Sessions' agenda? Let's have a look.

Read more:

This is China: Why are the Two Sessions held in March?

Long-term development plans

China published its proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year-Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 last November. The two plans will now be tabled at the the legislative session for review and discussion.

Declaring successful conclusion of implementing the 13th FYP, the proposals outlined an ambitious plan which aims to build a more innovative and green China with higher level of opening-up and higher-quality growth, according to the full text of the drafts.

Chinese President Xi Jinping showed confidence in the proposals, as he said in an explanatory speech to party officials that it is "completely possible" for China to meet the current standards for high-income countries by the end of the 14th FYP period and double the total economic volume or per capita income by 2035.

The drafts, depicting China's future landscape and development strategies, are expected to be the country's development blueprint for the next five years. They set goals and tasks based on the current social and economic situation, with a clear time point for implementation and completion.

How China is going to fulfill its commitment of a new development pattern and the specific measures it will take will be the highlight of the drafts.

Government work report

Reviewing the government work report delivered by the Chinese premier is an important part of the Two Sessions.

The report, described as both a report card and a road map, not only contains summary of the government's work in the past year, but also reveals the government's priorities and goals in terms of socioeconomic development.

This year's report is believed to be eye-catching given the remarkable achievement made in poverty alleviation, epidemic control and economic recovery.

China declared a "complete victory" in its fight against absolute poverty on February 25 after eight years of efforts. As a "miracle that will go down in history," the achievement is believed to be underscored in the report.

But the task to fight against poverty is by no means the finishing line, according to Xi, it is "the starting point of a new life and new endeavor."

Urging efforts to effectively consolidate achievements in poverty alleviation, Xi has also called on greater synergy to the country's rural vitalization strategy, indicating that China is moving on to push for higher-level development in its rural areas.

The work report may give a further explanation on how exactly this transition will take place.

Read more:

Summary of the 2020 Two Sessions

2021 Two Sessions

Economic growth target

Economic growth target for this year would be another highlight of this year's report.

Analysts believe that the target will show China's expectation for the country's economic development as well as its potential contribution to global economic recovery given the fact that China is projected to be the world's only major economy to see positive growth this year.

China did not set a specific target last year due to great uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the global gloomy economic and trade environment, but through one-year strict implementation of the COVID-19 containment work, China is now taking lead globally to recover from the shadow of the pandemic and get the global economy back on track.

Han Wenxiu, an official of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, said the average economic growth rate for this year and the next is expected to be about 5 percent. He holds a cautious optimistic attitude towards the economic situation by saying "the coming days may not necessarily be good enough as economic development continues to face internal and external uncertainties."

GDP growth targets set out by individual provinces also serve as reference. According to official reports, 10 provinces, including China's top three economic powerhouses Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shandong, set a growth target of 6 percent for this year, while China's epidemic epicenter Hubei and free-trade port Hainan show strong confidence in its economy by setting a target of 10 percent increase.

All the statistics show great confidence in China to realize an economic rebound this year, while the release of 2021 economic growth target will give a more intuitive glimpse of China's economic expectations.