John Ruich

Yeah, well, we had a chance to talk to a handful of delegates on their way into the opening session today. One of them was Tian Xuan, who's a professor of finance, part of the Shanghai delegation.

So he told me that China's basically in a better position to handle the tariffs now and to offset them than before. China has a huge domestic market, for instance. It's got comprehensive supply chains. He says the authorities are taking steps to stimulate domestic demand.

So he told me that China's basically in a better position to handle the tariffs now and to offset them than before. China has a huge domestic market, for instance. It's got comprehensive supply chains. He says the authorities are taking steps to stimulate domestic demand.

So he told me that China's basically in a better position to handle the tariffs now and to offset them than before. China has a huge domestic market, for instance. It's got comprehensive supply chains. He says the authorities are taking steps to stimulate domestic demand.

And he says the tariffs are also kind of a motivator for China to promote high tech and to expand relations with other countries. Economists, like you say, say the tariffs will probably start to hurt, especially if they keep going up. But these handpicked delegates to parliament were projecting confidence, as you might expect.

And he says the tariffs are also kind of a motivator for China to promote high tech and to expand relations with other countries. Economists, like you say, say the tariffs will probably start to hurt, especially if they keep going up. But these handpicked delegates to parliament were projecting confidence, as you might expect.

And he says the tariffs are also kind of a motivator for China to promote high tech and to expand relations with other countries. Economists, like you say, say the tariffs will probably start to hurt, especially if they keep going up. But these handpicked delegates to parliament were projecting confidence, as you might expect.

Well, the premier flagged the risks like that external environment, like sluggish domestic demand. But he also projected some confidence. He set a growth target of around 5 percent this year. It's about the same as last year.

Well, the premier flagged the risks like that external environment, like sluggish domestic demand. But he also projected some confidence. He set a growth target of around 5 percent this year. It's about the same as last year.

Well, the premier flagged the risks like that external environment, like sluggish domestic demand. But he also projected some confidence. He set a growth target of around 5 percent this year. It's about the same as last year.

And to get there, announced some fresh fiscal stimulus, a willingness to pursue more accommodative monetary policy to, you know, increase funding for industries of the future like quantum technology, AI, these type of things.

And to get there, announced some fresh fiscal stimulus, a willingness to pursue more accommodative monetary policy to, you know, increase funding for industries of the future like quantum technology, AI, these type of things.

And to get there, announced some fresh fiscal stimulus, a willingness to pursue more accommodative monetary policy to, you know, increase funding for industries of the future like quantum technology, AI, these type of things.

Well, one interesting thing we'll be looking out for is that the NPC may pass some legislation that would support and protect private businesses.

Well, one interesting thing we'll be looking out for is that the NPC may pass some legislation that would support and protect private businesses.

Well, one interesting thing we'll be looking out for is that the NPC may pass some legislation that would support and protect private businesses.

And that's pretty interesting because the leadership here seems to have renewed its interest in these companies as drivers of the economy and innovation, especially after the Chinese company DeepSeek released an advanced AI model in January that shocked the world. NPR's John Ruich with some insights from Beijing.

And that's pretty interesting because the leadership here seems to have renewed its interest in these companies as drivers of the economy and innovation, especially after the Chinese company DeepSeek released an advanced AI model in January that shocked the world. NPR's John Ruich with some insights from Beijing.

And that's pretty interesting because the leadership here seems to have renewed its interest in these companies as drivers of the economy and innovation, especially after the Chinese company DeepSeek released an advanced AI model in January that shocked the world. NPR's John Ruich with some insights from Beijing.

Yeah, DeepSeek is a spinoff from a Chinese hedge fund. It was established just two years ago in 2023. And it's based in the eastern city of Hangzhou, which is sort of a tech hub here in China.