China's legislative body struggles for relevance

The annual meeting of China's legislature may be little more than tightly scripted political theater, but in a country where all decisions are made in secret, it offers a rare peek behind the curtain.

Government-picked delegates to the National People's Congress (NPC) will gather for pomp-filled ceremonies in Beijing beginning on Saturday to pass legislation already approved by the ruling Communist Party.

Their stated role is to help top leaders govern the vast country by offering input from their communities on the issues of the day -- such as how to fight corruption, narrow the yawning rich-poor divide and fix the shaky financial system.

The roughly 3,000 delegates were all chosen, however, not for their expertise, but for their loyalty to the government.

"If they're for real, if we're to take them seriously, then they are supposed to be conduits from the hinterland to the center," said Paul Harris, a politics professor at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. "But it's not democratic. The people who are representatives do not actually represent the people of China."

So much else in China is changing day by day -- from business to technology and even village governance -- but the National People's Congress remains a relic of years gone by. Still, the annual spectacle offers a glimpse into the intentions of a government increasingly sure of China's rising global status and able to swiftly crack down on any opposition to one-party rule.

Topping this year's agenda is an anti-secession law aimed at curbing pro-independence sentiment in Taiwan. The law is almost sure to pass, and Taiwan is already protesting, worried that it could provide a pretext for attack.

Former Chinese president Jiang Zemin (江澤民) plans to retire from his last official post as chairman of the Central Military Commission, a government organ overseeing the People's Liberation Army. The position, which is expected to go to current President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), is largely symbolic, but the government will likely use the occasion to celebrate the continuity of communist rule.

In closed-door sessions, delegates will discuss eliminating graft, improving workplace safety, lifting rural incomes and protecting China's ravaged environment, while avoiding any challenges to current policy or leaders.

They also plan to debate how to discourage the abortion of female fetuses in a country where 117 boys are born for every 100 girls.

Lawmakers will also approve budget and economic targets for the year, including an expected jump in military spending. Little will be unscripted if the government has its way, but the changes are attracting notice.

"I think the role of the NPC is more important than before," said Song Xinning (宋新寧), a professor of international relations at People's University in Beijing, noting that discussions on corruption and judicial reform tend to shed light on grievances.

The public have little hope of reaching their delegates, though. Already tight security in Beijing is ramped up, with police blocking access to Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People where the legislature meets. Chinese who travel to the capital with complaints are rounded up and sent home, sometimes beaten and arrested.

Authorities plan to monitor Internet chat rooms on Chinese sites 24 hours a day to censor any dissent. Even model airplanes and hot-air balloons will be banned "to prevent possible terror attacks," the official Xinhua News Agency said.