China’s top political advisory body will consider a proposal to lower the country’s marriage age to help reverse falling birth rates this week, as more than 5,000 delegates gather in Beijing for the country’s annual parliamentary meeting.
In what is known as the “two sessions”, the advisory body, known as the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, will start its annual meeting on Tuesday, followed by the National People’s Congress, China’s rubber stamp parliament, on Wednesday.
While NPC delegates sign off on Communist party-formulated laws and policies, the members of the CPPCC, which brings together what is known as the United Front — representatives of wider society beyond government institutions and companies — will consider hundreds of proposals from members covering everything from the economy to social issues and artificial intelligence.