Flash Notes

Amid a year of “black swan” events globally and domestic economic challenges in the ongoing reform and restructuring as growthcontinued to slow in the “new normal” environment, China held its annual Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC) over 14 to 16Dec in Beijing, led by President Xi Jinping.

    The CEWC reviewed developments in 2016 and set the tone for economic and financial policy for 2017 while noting a series of risksand opportunities ahead both domestically and globally. These meeting’s outcomes are expected to show up in the various economictargets and policy steps to be unveiled in the National People’s Congress (NPC) sessions in Mar 2017.

    Domestically, 2017 is an important year at least in two respects: 1) The 13th 5 year plan (2016-2020) will be moving into furtherimplementation phase, and 2) the China Communist Party is scheduled to hold its 19th National Congress in the autumn of 2017 thatis expected to usher in a slate of leaders just as the Xi Jinping-Li Keqiang administration begins its second, and final, 5-year term.