Beijing reshuffles advisory body ahead of Two Sessions conclave in March

China reshuffled the delegates for its top political advisory body on Wednesday (in Chinese). The 2,172-strong lineup for the 14th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which guides policymaking on the nation’s most pressing issues but has no legislative or administrative power, will gather on March 4 to kick off the country’s annual parliamentary meetings known as the “Two Sessions.”

Membership in the CPPCC is largely ceremonial, but a closer look at who’s in and out provides valuable insights into the issues the government plans to emphasize in a given year.

Most notably, top Chinese tech bosses are out. Robin Li (李彦宏 Lǐ Yànhóng), founding CEO of Baidu, William Dīng Lěi 丁磊, founder and CEO of gaming giant NetEase, and Wáng Xiǎochuān 王小川, founder of search engine Sogou, were not included in the list.

• But notable business figures from Hong Kong, like Adrian Cheng (郑志刚 Zhèng Zhìgāng), CEO of New World Development, and former Cathay Pacific Airways CEO Augustus Tang (邓健荣 Dèng Jiànróng) will join the delegation.

Hong Kong’s efforts to hew closely to Beijing policy also didn’t pan out for Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥 Lín Zhèng Yuè’é), the former leader of Hong Kong who presided over the city’s pro-democracy protests.

• Lam will not replace the seat to be left by her post-handover predecessor, Tung Chee-hwa (Dǒng Jiànhuá 董建華).
• Xià Bǎolóng 夏宝龙, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), will also retire from his position.

On the other hand, COVID experts are in. Zhāng Wénhóng 张文宏, a Shanghai-based infectious disease expert, and Wú Zūnyǒu 吴尊友, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, are two of the 96 new members from the health and medical sectors.

And so is Hú Chūnhuá 胡春华, the vice premier who made a surprise exit from the ruling Politburo during the 20th Party Congress last October.