Reporter's notebook: 'Delegates Corridor' at the Great Hall of the People

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I've been at the Great Hall of The People in Beijing all week along with my CGTN colleagues and one of the many new additions to the 19th CPC National Congress has been an area known as the "corridor."

Like a press stakeout in the West but more organized! It's where the media can talk one-on-one to the delegates attending this congress.

We've heard from new delegates from across China all week but Tuesday was a bit more special as we were awaiting the election of the new Central Committee of the communist party.

This body is the most powerful deliberative organ of the communist party and its 200 plus members select the members of the politburo and the politburo standing committee.

CGTN Photo

In total 21 Central Committee members made their way to the microphone in the corridor, roughly 10% of the members.

Among them Wu Xiaoguang, the chief designer of China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning. Now that the Belt and Road Initiative has been enshrined into the party's constitution he told the assembled journalists there was a need for more ships.

"With the development of the Belt & Road Initiative, China will invest more overseas. Therefore more people and assets overseas all need to be well protected by our naval vessels."

It was hard to keep track of all the members of the Central Committee but I noticed that many of them are younger than previous members - many new members were born in the 1960's and some in the 1970's.

They are assuming responsibilities at the highest level for the first time. For example, Zhou Yu from the Chinese Ministry of foreign affairs: She is the deputy director of the English division of the translation department and has translated for Xi Jinping and Hu Jintao. She spoke about how well she thinks General Secretary Xi Jinping communicates China's development to the world.

She also talked about the incorporation of the Belt and Road Initiative into the party constitution along with Xi's thought. She stressed however this does not mean that China or Xi will tell other countries what to do.

CGTN Photo‍

Saying "he is very humble. He says this road is suitable for China, but it is not necessarily suitable for other countries. China respects people around the world to choose their own path of development according to their national conditions."

Hearing from the delegates direct in the "corridor" this week has been a refreshing change. At many international conferences, I have attended I had to shout questions or try and grab people as they leave.

This new system really helped us make sense of what was happening and the priorities for the party going forward. I hope it continues in the future and further opens up and develops into a way we can all communicate more effectively with China's new leadership generation.