The 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is the sitting electoral term of the "supreme organ of state power" of the People's Republic of China. It convened in Beijing, on 5 March 2023, and is scheduled to continue until March 2028. Elections for the new Congress were held from October 2022 to February 2023.[1] It is scheduled to hold five sessions in this period, occurring around early March every year until before 2028, when the 15th National People's Congress is expected to be elected from December 2027 to February 2028 and will likely be in session around March 2028.[citation needed]
The first session of the 14th NPC was held between 5–13 March 2023. A preparatory meeting was held on 3 March, presided by outgoing NPC Standing Committee chairman Li Zhanshu.[2] During the session, Zhao Leji succeeded Li Zhanshu as the NPCSC chairman, while Xi Jinping was granted an unprecedented third term as president.[3][4][5]Han Zheng succeeded Wang Qishan as vice president, while Li Qiang was appointed as the premier succeeding Li Keqiang.
The second session of the NPC began on 5 March 2024 and ended on 11 March. The event was held largely without COVID restrictions for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. On 4 March, The NPC spokesperson Lou Qinjian said Premier Li Qiang won't hold the annual press conferences for the remaining term of China's parliament, which ends in 2027, ending a tradition maintained for three decades.
^"(两会受权发布)十四届全国人大一次会议举行预备会议" [(Authorized release by the two sessions) The first session of the 14th National People's Congress held a preparatory meeting]. China News Service. Retrieved 18 September 2023.