The annual session of China’s parliament concluded amid speculation over the absence of its chairman, Zhao Leji, and growing concerns about the country's slowing economy, impacted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff war and weak domestic consumption.

On Tuesday (March 11, 2025), the week-long National People’s Congress (NPC) session came to an end, with approximately 3,000 lawmakers approving the government work report, the budget, and the 2025 national economic and social development plan, as anticipated.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who also leads the Communist Party and the military, attended the session, but uncertainty loomed over Zhao’s absence since Monday.

However, officials later clarified that Zhao, 68, had missed the proceedings due to a “respiratory tract infection.”

According to the South China Morning Post, this was the first time in recent history that the chairman of China’s top legislative body was absent from the closing of the parliamentary meeting. Additionally, it marked a rare instance where not all members of the Politburo Standing Committee attended the NPC’s final session.

Zhao was also absent on Monday (March 10, 2025) from the closing session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which runs alongside the NPC each year.

As the chairman of the NPC and a former secretary of the influential anti-corruption body, Zhao ranks third in the hierarchy of the powerful seven-member Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), following Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

However, Xi JinPing marks the core leader of the CCP next to the founder, Mao Zedong.