
Decoding China's Two Sessions: Politics, Purges, and a New Five Year Plan
From Pekingology by Center for Strategic and International Studies
March 19, 2026 · 49 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the significance of China's Two Sessions and the implications for Chinese politics and policymaking.
In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Neil Thomas, Fellow on Chinese Politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis. They discuss the significance of China's recent "Two Sessions," where the National People's Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference come together with great pageantry to announce new policies. Neil unpacks the state of China's elite politics and purges, the highlights of the 15th Five-Year Plan, President Xi's conservative approach to policymaking, and who might rise to important roles during Xi's fourth term.
People in this episode
Host: Henrietta Levin
Guest: Neil Thomas
Topics covered
- Chinese politics
- Two Sessions
- Five-Year Plan
- elite politics
- policy making
- purges
Keywords
- China
- Two Sessions
- politics
- purges
- Five-Year Plan
- Xi Jinping
- policy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Asia Society Policy Institute, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Books & works: 15th Five-Year Plan
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