China brings in more chip industry representatives for its most important annual...

China brings in more chip industry representatives for its most important annual political meetings

China brings in more chip industry representatives for its most important annual political meetings

7 hours ago

China's annual "two sessions" will begin on Saturday, with delegates from all walks of life and government representatives gathering in Beijing to discuss national affairs.

This year, the composition of the delegation is quite different due to the increasing importance the country is placing on the tech hardware industry.

"Two Sessions" is a term used to refer to the annual meetings of two major political bodies in China - the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

The NPC is China's highest organ of state power, with approximately 3,000 members, and its annual session is the country's highest legislative activity. The CPPCC, on the other hand, is a political advisory body composed of 2,000 representatives from all sectors of society, including the business, academic and cultural fields.

Previously, thanks to China's booming Internet economy, founders or CEOs of Internet companies often appeared on the delegate list, including Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, Ma Huateng, founder of Tencent, and Liu Qiangdong, founder of JD.com, while executives of hardware companies could rarely be seen on the list.

This year, there are fewer of these types of entrepreneurs on the delegate list, compared to the rise in representation from the semiconductor, robotics, laser technology, aerospace, and aviation industries.

Newcomers to the events include representatives from chip firms Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), Hua Hong Semiconductor Ltd, Shandong Youyan Semiconductor Materials Co. in the NPC, and Cambricon Technologies Corp in the CPPCC. 

Delegates for the NPC and CPPCC are chosen every five years by the Communist Party and have the option to resign.

The shift in the delegate list reflects China's push for tech self-reliance in cutting-edge areas in the face of growing competition and pressure from the US. In recent years, the US government has been tightening restrictions on technology exports to China, particularly in areas such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence. 

In order to reduce dependence on foreign technology imports and maintain competitiveness in the global technology industry, China has accelerated targeted funding, guidance, and support for key technology fields in recent years.

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