At China political meeting, internet bosses are out, chip execs are in

Economy showing signs of recovery from its Covid slump

Tencent Holdings founder Pony Ma and others from China’s crackdown-hit internet sector will be absent from this year's parliamentary sessions, as Beijing boosts representation from the tech hardware sector, delegate lists show.

Nearly 3,000 members of the National People's Congress (NPC) will gather in Beijing on Sunday for its first meeting since Xi Jinping secured a norm-breaking third leadership term at a congress of the ruling Communist Party last October.

The makeup of the nation's top legislative body, mostly local government officials but also representatives from other sectors, signals who lies in Beijing's good graces, although the ultimate barometer of power remains the ruling Communist Party's 205-member Central Committee.

This year, a new crop of representatives from the tech hardware sector appeared on delegate name lists for the first time, a sign of Beijing's changing priorities as it looks to bolster its capabilities as Washington cuts off access to cutting edge technology.

Pony Ma is absent from this year's list after previously serving two five-year terms. The chief executive of China's most valuable company has kept a low profile in recent years while rival tech entrepreneurs were targeted by a wide-ranging state crackdown on internet firms and as Xi urged greater scrutiny of the ultra-wealthy.