Reporters' Diary: Critical battles and minor scuffles

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The race was fierce, scuffles broke out – but eventually, the competitors all got a prize.

Not the chase for an Oscars goodie bag, but reporters hunting an advance copy of Premier Li Keqiang’s government work report at the Great Hall of the People on Monday.

As journalists snaked around a roped line waiting for the clock to hit 8 a.m., paper was stacked high on a second floor desk. As a bell sounded, an undignified surge towards the piled pages followed. Shouting, pushing, some impromptu wrestling, a burly security guard – order restored.

A journalist reads the 2018 government work report in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 5, 2018. /CGTN Photo

Journalists read the 2018 government work report in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 5, 2018. /CGTN Photo

A reporter reads the 2018 government work report in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 5, 2018. /CGTN Photo

Reporters read the 2018 government work report in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 5, 2018. /CGTN Photo

A journalist studies the 2018 government work report in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 5, 2018. /CGTN Photo

The reports – published in multiple languages – were collected, and a long-observed ritual followed. Dozens of reporters strewn across the floor, urgently highlighting key passages and WeChat-ing them back to their offices – all in the hour before Premier Li took to the stage at the opening of the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC).

In the hall, a rhythmic flutter filled the air every few minutes as the thousands of gathered deputies, journalists and observers turned the pages of their work reports in unison.

The 110-minute speech was short on applause lines, but two crowd-pleasing policies did make the audience stir: a rise in the income tax threshold and a 30-percent cut in mobile internet rates.

The meat of the report was comprehensive and consistent, with frequent echoes of the 19th CPC National Congress and a focus on high-quality growth – around 6.5 percent again targeted in 2018.

Also of note was the identification of three “critical battles” – defusing local government debt risks, removing 10 million rural dwellers from poverty, more action on tackling pollution – and, in a separate release, an 8.1-percent rise in China’s defense budget.

The report also contained some unexpected nuggets.

Ticket prices at favorite tourist sites will be lowered, policies restricting the sale of second-hand cars will be eased, and shopaholics, rejoice! The report vowed to promote “the healthy development of online shopping,” already a favorite pastime of Chinese consumers who spend millions every year online.

That fake Louis Vuitton handbag might have to go, however, with the government warning of “zero tolerance for counterfeit and substandard products.”

Cameras at the opening of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 5, 2018. /VCG Photo

CGTN reporters at the opening of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 5, 2018. /CGTN Photo

Deputies at the opening of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 5, 2018. /VCG Photo

The Two Sessions, like most big Chinese political meetings, are a carefully orchestrated affair and many of the key themes in the report were expected.

But when covering this type of event, the unpredictable always happens. In this case: there was no signal as we prepared to do a live stream for social media inside the Great Hall of the People.

A mad rush out of the building was stopped by security as hundreds of deputies were on their way in. We finally made it outside, but minus a cameraman, a microphone or a coat (in chilly temperatures!), requiring some last-minute scrambling both in front of the Great Hall and back at CGTN headquarters.

But we eventually made it on the air… then faced a long queue of journalists waiting to get back in for Premier Li’s speech.

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress arrive at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 5, 2018. /VCG Photo

A deputy to the 13th National People's Congress answers questions at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 5, 2018. /VCG Photo

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress walk to the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 5, 2018. /VCG Photo

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress walk towards the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 5, 2018. /VCG Photo

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress outside the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 5, 2018. /VCG Photo

After the work report, NPC deputies heard draft constitutional amendments that will be put to a vote on March 11.

This is what sets the 2018 Two Sessions apart from the usual annual affair: it will decide China’s path not just for the coming year, but for the near future.

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