Two Sessions: Labor Rights, Child Safety, AI Scams Among Key Debates
AI-generated deepfakes, labor rights, public healthcare, and child protection have emerged as some of the most debated topics at this year’s Two Sessions, the annual meetings of China’s top legislative and political advisory bodies, which began this week.
Proposals on these issues have sparked widespread debate on social media, with related hashtags drawing hundreds of millions of views on microblogging site Weibo. As policymakers weigh new measures that could shape daily life, public interest in the discussions continues to grow.
The Two Sessions, or lianghui, refers to the annual meetings of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Running from March 4 to 11, the gatherings bring together delegates from across industries and sectors to set the country’s legislative and policy priorities for the year ahead.
Here are some of the most widely discussed suggestions on social media.
Deepfake danger
Lei Jun, an NPC deputy and CEO of tech giant Xiaomi, has called for legislation to curb the misuse of AI-generated deepfake content, including face-swapping and voice imitation. Having been personally targeted by such scams, Lei warned that these technologies have become a “disaster zone” for online fraud and misinformation.
Similarly, Jin Dong, an actor and CPPCC member, raised concerns about AI-related fraud, noting that many fans of his TV dramas have fallen victim to scams using AI-generated videos impersonating him. He urged stricter regulations to combat the malicious use of AI.
Ending “age bias”
NPC deputy Meng Yuan, an executive at State Grid Power, has proposed strengthening China’s labor laws to explicitly ban age discrimination. Her motion seeks to prohibit companies from imposing arbitrary age restrictions unrelated to job requirements.
Meng also called for stricter enforcement of labor laws, including harsher penalties for discriminatory hiring practices. She urged government agencies, state-owned enterprises, and public institutions to take the lead in eliminating age limits from recruitment processes to promote more inclusive hiring.
The proposal follows renewed debate over age discrimination, sparked by public outrage in February over a job posting for sanitation workers requiring applicants to be under 35. The so-called “curse of 35” — a growing bias against older job seekers — has fueled concerns over workplace inclusivity.
In another labor-related motion, Li Zhengguo, a CPPCC member and special supervisor of the Supreme People’s Court, focused on paid leave enforcement and hidden overtime work. He proposed classifying work conducted online outside regular hours as overtime, with clear compensation policies.
Li also suggested requiring companies to monitor and report paid leave compliance to labor unions and government agencies. He further called for making paid leave enforcement a key performance indicator in corporate management assessments.
Shared medical data
Wang Ningli, a CPPCC member and director of Beijing Tongren Hospital’s Ophthalmology Center, has proposed a system for hospitals to share and recognize diagnostic test results across medical institutions. While treatment methods may vary, Wang argued that most diagnostic tests are objective and should be standardized for mutual recognition.
He said the system would streamline healthcare services, reduce unnecessary repeat tests, and improve medical artificial intelligence by enhancing the management of large-scale health data.
Protecting minors
Fang Yan, an NPC deputy and lawyer, has called for stronger measures to prevent child sexual abuse, citing a rise in reported cases in recent years. Her motion proposes nationwide background checks on school staff and other professionals working with minors, permanently barring those with a history of sexual offenses from such positions.
Fang also advocated for integrating sexual abuse prevention education into the national curriculum and imposing stricter penalties on guardians, educators, and healthcare workers convicted of crimes against minors.
Song Yaping, an NPC deputy and president of the Shaanxi Provincial Children’s Welfare Association, raised concerns about the commercialization of child influencers, arguing that some parents and media agencies exploit minors as “traffic tools” to generate online revenue.
Her motion calls for tighter regulations on child influencers, particularly in cases where minors are forced into excessively long livestreams, inappropriate modeling, or staged performances for profit. She emphasized the need to protect children’s rights in digital media environments.
(Header image: The National People’s Congress in session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 5, 2025. VCG)
