Webinar | ‘Two sessions’ 2026: how will China pivot its economy under Trump’s pressure?

China’s most critical annual political gathering, the “two sessions”, is particularly significant this year as Beijing unveils its 15th five-year plan, signaling how it will position itself ahead of the highly anticipated summit between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump.To decode the outcomes of these meetings, the China-morning-post" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="12558" data-entity-type="organization">South China Morning Post and the Asia Society Policy Institute’s China-analysis" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="42653" data-entity-type="organization">Center for China Analysis (CCA) will co-host a special webinar on March 13.The panel features Lizzi C. Lee, fellow on Chinese economy; Lyle Morris, senior fellow on foreign policy and national security; and Neil Thomas, fellow on Chinese politics, all from the Asia Society Policy Institute’s China-analysis" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="42653" data-entity-type="organization">Center for China Analysis. They will be joined by moderator Neil Denslow, SCMP Plus senior production editor, to unpack the key outcomes of the meetings and evaluate their implications for China’s domestic trajectory, foreign policy direction and US-China relations.The panel will explore the following topics: Economic policy: Premier Li Qiang’s government work report, economic targets, and policy priorities US-China relations: how the meetings set the stage for the expected summit between Xi and Trump Technological self-reliance: which sectors will be prioritised amid rising global uncertainty The 15th five-year plan: laying out China’s economic and social priorities for the next half-decade For in-depth coverage of the two sessions, subscribe to SCMP Plus – your go-to source to decoding China. Gain access to exclusive FactSheets, best-in-class data visualisations and our “Between the Lines” series, where specialist reporters annotate key government documents. You’ll also receive the Daily Pulse newsletter, delivering concise insights, expert context, and a curated briefing of global media perspectives.