Beijing to Restrict Flight Operations from 20th to 28th... Suggests Shortened Duration of Two Sessions

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] Beijing public security authorities have issued a notice restricting flight activities within the Beijing administrative area from the 20th to the 28th, suggesting that this year's Two Sessions (Lianghui, the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) will be held for a shorter period than usual.

According to the Beijing Daily on the 13th, Beijing public security authorities sent an official document stating that to ensure aviation safety during the Two Sessions, from the 20th to the 28th, low-altitude, small, and low-speed flight management will be strengthened within the administrative area centered around Tiananmen. They also announced a complete ban on flying balloons for sports events, entertainment, and advertising from 0:00 on the 20th to 24:00 on the 28th.

The Chinese government had announced that the Two Sessions, originally scheduled for March, would be postponed to open on the 21st for the CPPCC and the 22nd for the NPC due to the COVID-19 situation. However, they did not disclose in what format or for how long the sessions would be held.

Although there is no specific information on how long this year's Two Sessions will last, the recent notice from Beijing public security authorities implies that the duration could be shortened from the usual two weeks to about seven days. Previously, among local governments, Yunnan Province, which held its Two Sessions the latest on the 10th, reduced the duration of its local government Two Sessions from five days last year to three days this year. Sichuan Province also shortened the duration compared to previous years.

The Global Times reported on the same day that strict quarantine measures, including nucleic acid testing for attendees, will accompany this year's Two Sessions, and the number of participants will also be reduced. A CPPCC member attending this year's Two Sessions told the Global Times in an interview, "I will depart for Beijing on the 19th to attend the Two Sessions," adding, "I must undergo a nucleic acid test before departure, and only if I test negative can I travel to Beijing."

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered strengthened COVID-19 prevention measures ahead of the Two Sessions. In a work report during his inspection tour in Shanxi Province the previous day, President Xi said, "Currently, the pressure of overseas imported COVID-19 cases is increasing," and instructed, "We must tighten the screws on epidemic prevention, prevent overseas importation and domestic resurgence, and establish a normalized prevention system."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.