While China's National People's Congress (NPC) does not function like a legislature in the West, its annual meeting is still an important date on the country's political calendar. At the conclave, the Chinese leadership lays out its policy agenda for the year ahead, and the government work program is one of the clearest windows through which the world can assess the leadership's world view and priorities. At this year's meeting (March 5-14), the theme was China's growing strength and, at the same time, concern that rising expectations were not being met. China's leaders have delivered on promises of improving the lives of ordinary Chinese but their job is becoming more difficult.

Just under 3,000 parliamentarians make up the NPC. They are part-time legislators who hold other jobs and are briefed on parliamentary business just days before the congress convenes. Most have a rudimentary understanding of the issues they deal with when the congress meets; they certainly do not have a strong grasp of the details of the legislation they are to consider. That is, in fact, how the system is supposed to work.

While there were actual debates over bills some decades ago, that is no longer the case. Today, the NPC is an institution that rubber stamps bills that have been submitted to them by the party leadership.