China's top political advisory body unveils agenda of annual session

The main agenda proposed for the upcoming fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, was unveiled on Sunday.

The fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC will open on March 4 in Beijing, according to a decision made at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee on Sunday.

The proposed agenda for the session includes hearing and deliberating on a work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee and a report on how the proposals from political advisors have been handled since the previous session of the CPPCC National Committee.

Members of the CPPCC National Committee will sit in on the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress to hear and discuss documents including the government work report.

They will also discuss a draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for national economic and social development, according to the proposed agenda.

The upcoming CPPCC National Committee session is part of China's "two sessions" for 2026, along with the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

The "two sessions," which gather national lawmakers and political advisors from across China every year to discuss state affairs, are a major event in the country's political calendar and an important window for the rest of the world to observe and understand China's policy direction.

China's top political advisory body unveils agenda of annual session

Canada's real GDP growth slowed to 1.7 percent in 2025, marking the slowest annual growth rate since 2020, Statistics Canada said Friday.

A decrease in exports, particularly to the United States, was the primary driver behind the cooling economy, said the national statistical agency.

According to the agency, total exports fell 1.7 percent in 2025, largely due to a sharp drop in shipments to the United States during the second quarter despite the increases in the latter half of the year.

It said that 2025 saw the first annual contraction in non-farm inventories since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In contrast, farm inventories rose for the first time in three years, bolstered by strong crop production.

Household final consumption expenditure grew by 2.3 percent, remaining consistent with the growth rates of the previous two years.

Total capital investment increased by 1.4 percent in 2025, significantly driven by government spending, with a 45.9-percent surge in investment in weapons systems.

The agency said that both services-producing and goods-producing industries saw growth in 2025, with 16 out of 20 industrial sectors expanding. The finance and insurance sector, along with oil and gas extraction, was the largest contributor to growth.

The manufacturing sector was the biggest laggard for the year, hampered by the negative impact of U.S. tariffs on Canadian products, said Statistics Canada.

Canada's real GDP slows to 1.7 percent in 2025: authorities