2026年中国全国两会如期在上星期开幕。中国总理李强3月5日在政府工作报告中宣布，今年的经济增长目标定为4.5%至5%。这是中国30多年来首次将增长目标下调至5%以下，显示中国经济增长压力不小。

不过，增长目标并未引发最广泛关注，两会上更引人瞩目的是人事变动。例如，人大主席团和秘书长名单较往年减少了13人，其中包括多名已被罢免或受查的地方首长、解放军高级将领，甚至国家级领导人，如张又侠、何卫东、马兴瑞等。出席两会的上将仅剩六人，其中两人还是去年12月才晋升的。

谁来谁不来？两会已成为观察中国高层人事变动的窗口。今年的两会在人事上有何具体看点？这个世界第二大经济体又对外展示了什么样的政策走向？

这期的早报播客《东谈西论》，《联合早报》中国新闻组主任兼北京特派员杨丹旭与主持人韩咏红，共同梳理今年中国两会的关键亮点，并剖析世界第二大经济体所展示的政策走向。

延伸阅读：

• 杨丹旭：反腐高压下两会拉开序幕
• 韩咏红：中国经济增长进入“4”时代

China’s 2026 “Two Sessions” – the country’s most important annual political meetings – have opened with a blend of continuity and unease. Premier Li Qiang’s government work report set this year’s GDP growth target at 4.5 to 5 per cent, underscoring Beijing’s focus on more sustainable “high-quality” development amid weak property markets, local debt risks and the challenge of reviving domestic demand while advancing advanced manufacturing and green industries.

The political choreography is drawing almost as much scrutiny as the policy agenda, with notable absences from the National People’s Congress leadership ranks, including senior military figures and state-level officials who have been removed or slipped from public view, feeding perceptions of intensified internal discipline in the military and strategic sectors under Xi Jinping’s consolidated leadership. 

On the policy front, the meetings signal higher spending on defence and on science and technology, particularly semiconductors and artificial intelligence, as Beijing doubles down on security and self-reliance amid strained ties with the United States and its allies.

In this episode of Global Heartbeat, host Han Yonghong speaks with Yang Danxu, Lianhe Zaobao’s China News Editor and Beijing correspondent, for on-the-ground insights into the 2026 Two Sessions and what they mean for the world’s second-largest economy.

Hosted by Lianhe Zaobao’s Associate Editor, Han Yong Hong, Global Heartbeat is a Mandarin weekly news and current affairs podcast that is updated every Tuesday, 7.00 PM SGT. It is available on zaobao.sg, Apple Podcast, Spotify and other podcast platforms.