China's leadership meets under economic storm

"BEIJING – Risk-averse in the best of times, China's Communist Party leadership is expected to use its biggest meeting of the year for an even tighter show of political unity in the face of the global economic crisis and public calls for political change.
Delegates to the National People's Congress session that starts Thursday are being told to cool even their usually tepid debates. Lots of talk about getting the economy back on track is expected. Strong measures are not.
"If the meetings are dull, then the party is firmly in control. If they are eventful, then their control might be seen as slipping," Oxford University China expert Steve Tsang said.
The National People's Congress has traditionally served as a rubber stamp for policies determined by the party. The 2,000-plus delegates include influential leaders from the ministries, the provinces and the military.
Now the economic crisis is straining China's unwritten social contract, under which the public agrees to one-party rule in exchange for rising living standards. As millions of workers lose their jobs and the export-heavy economy stumbles, the country's leaders are closing ranks even further, squelching dissent and holding the line on political reform.
Growth fell to 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter, sluggish by Chinese standards, while unemployment is at nearly 10 percent, according to some government economists."

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