Using OSINT to Analyse China’s Two Sessions
- Emerald Sage
- 5 days ago
- 8 min read
In this blog, we unpack one of the most important fixtures on China’s political calendar—the annual Two Sessions—and building on previous blog content we demonstrate how country-informed open-source intelligence (OSINT) can illuminate what’s said, what’s not said, and why it all matters.
What are the Two Sessions?
On 4 March 2025, China’s Two Sessions (两会) commenced in Beijing. While international headlines were dominated by other global events such as tensions between Presidents Trump and Zelensky and reactions to US trade tariffs, this significant political event received comparatively little global attention despite its importance in understanding China’s policy direction and priorities.
Held annually, the Two Sessions is a collective term for the convening of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) - the most consequential gatherings in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) political calendar. This is when the CCP unveils its legislative agenda, economic targets, military spending, and Five-Year Plan priorities, signalling Beijing’s intent on everything from artificial intelligence (AI) to global infrastructure.
With China’s expanding role as a technological superpower, manufacturing engine, and diplomatic heavyweight, being attuned to insights from the Two Sessions has never been more important. For governments, analysts, and OSINT practitioners, understanding what is said, and what is not said, is essential to anticipating shifts in global power dynamics.
Given the global geopolitical significance of this event, why don’t we hear more about it? The answer to this question involves many factors, but perhaps the most tangible is the regulatory framework shaping China’s media environment.
During the Two Sessions in 2017, several laws were ratified that impact what is reported by whom and when.
The Cybersecurity Law (2017) grants the state power to police online content that “harms national honour” or disrupts public order.
The Provisions on the Administration of Internet News Information Services (2017) stipulates that only state-approved organisations may disseminate online news, particularly on political or sensitive topics.
Although The National Intelligence Law (2017) is primarily aimed at security and surveillance, this law obliges individuals and organisations, including journalists, to assist in intelligence efforts.
In addition to legislation and regulations, media outlets follow daily guidance from the Central Propaganda Department (CPD) - an arm of the Chinese Community Party responsible for maintaining ideological control across state-controlled media. The CPD issues official guidance on what stories should be covered, how they should be framed, and which narratives must be avoided or amplified. As a result, some media outlets self-censor to avoid penalties or the risk of losing their publishing licenses. Sensitive stories, such as protests, economic instability, or foreign policy tensions, are often delayed, sanitised, or omitted entirely.
The Chinese News Cycle
To illustrate, let's look at a simple example of what we encountered during the Two Sessions when searching China's most popular search engine.
A search for “2025两会” (“2025 Two Sessions”) on Baidu during the actual event, would have found little more than curated previews and cautious commentary. But just one month later, that same search returns a flood of feature articles, interviews, and video recaps.
Although journalists attended press briefings and plenary sessions at the time, their coverage was held back from publication - waiting for clearance from the Central Propaganda Department. In China, political news does not break in real time; it is released when officially sanctioned. This built-in delay effectively slows down the entire political news cycle.
So, how do you get real-time insight into tightly controlled events like the Two Sessions? We need to use OSINT, cross-platform verification, and culturally attuned analysis!
Using WeChat (微信) for Insights
WeChat (微信), developed by Tencent, is China’s dominant digital ecosystem, integrating chat, payments, news, and social media for over 1.3 billion users. Sometimes defined as a “super app” spanning both public and private sectors, it is an invaluable tool for OSINT practitioners.
By analysing public WeChat posts, official accounts, and digital transactions, investigators can uncover personal networks, business affiliations, and government narratives. While direct access requires mobile authentication, public content is searchable via Sogou (搜狗), a Chinese search engine.
All you need to do is navigate to Sogou, enter “2025两会” ("2025 Two Sessions”) or similar in the main search field and filter results by WeChat (See below).
During the Two Sessions, we found that WeChat outpaced state media with near real-time analysis. This is potentially because Tencent controls both content and infrastructure—unlike traditional outlets that wait for the Central Propaganda Department's approval prior to publication. With automated moderation and total platform control, tech giants like Tencent can amplify or suppress content instantly, meaning Tencent and similar technology platforms often respond faster to emerging content.
BiliBili (哔哩哔哩)
Bilibili, China’s possible equivalent to YouTube, blends entertainment, education, and commentary with its unique “bullet chat” (弹幕) system. These are real-time comments overlaying videos that reveal audience sentiment in the moment. Originally rooted in pop culture, it has evolved into a rich source for tracking policy narratives, social trends, and influencer dynamics.
During the Two Sessions, BiliBili had near real-time video footage, and it didn’t just echo state messaging. The videos retrieved showed signage, architecture, and context that helped analysts determine where events were taking place. This matters because the location itself can carry symbolic and political weight, helping us understand the importance of the people and events depicted. For example, many of the clips were filmed at The Great Hall of the People, located on Tiananmen Square in Beijing - China's premiere ceremonial and political venue. Events held at the Great Hall of the People during the Two Sessions carry more political prestige because of the venue’s symbolic authority, state visibility, and central role in Chinese governance.
Furthermore, unlike text-based mediums, Bilibili allows analysts to extract insights from tone, facial expressions, body language, time-of-day lighting, and crowd size—clues that enrich verification and add depth to narrative analysis.
All you need to do to search for content across BiliBili is navigate to the site, enter your query in the main search bar and then decide whether to filter results by “Comprehensive”, “Most played”, “Latest releases”, “Most comments”, and/or “Most favourites” (See below).
DeepSeek (深度求索)
DeepSeek, developed by a Hangzhou-based startup, gained traction for its cost-efficient reasoning and standout capabilities in logic and maths. But what makes it particularly valuable for OSINT practitioners is how it provides unique insights into the Chinese digital information environment, offering a window into content about topics like the Two Sessions.
Unlike Western chatbots, DeepSeek is trained primarily on Chinese datasets, shaped by domestic linguistic, political, and cultural norms. This matters. When asked in English about the 2025 Two Sessions, DeepSeek declined to answer. But the same question, asked in Simplified Chinese delivered a detailed, structured summary.
The difference in responses between languages is noteworthy for analysts. This discrepancy likely stems from two factors. First, it is highly likely that the platform’s moderation is more sensitive to English-language prompts, perhaps because foreign users are statistically more likely to frame questions in a critical or politically sensitive manner. Second, DeepSeek is primarily trained on mainland Chinese datasets. As a result, the model has richer contextual understanding and more examples of how to relay information about sensitive topics like the Two Sessions in ways that remain compliant with domestic norms.
This linguistic asymmetry is important for analysts, because it can mean uneven access to information, leading to bias and differences in chatbot transparency, giving Chinese users richer or more detailed insights than those querying in English.
Unlike video or text, chatbots like DeepSeek can be interrogated. Rather than scrolling through hours of footage or pages of articles, chatbots allow specific question-and-answer interrogation of a topic or dataset. This lets analysts zero in on the “so what” faster.
Combined with other sources, DeepSeek becomes a powerful tool for uncovering CCP priorities, not despite its moderation—but by understanding and working with it. And by pulling all these sources together we can perform cross-platform verification and piece together some significant moments that emerged from the 2025 Two Sessions.
Some Key takeaways from China’s 2025 Two Sessions
The Two Sessions offer a valuable annual snapshot of China’s strategic priorities. While official reporting may be delayed or filtered, platforms like WeChat, BiliBili, and DeepSeek provide alternative access points to policy signals, public sentiment, and emerging narratives.
By analysing these sources, we observed consistent messaging in three critical areas: the economy, technology, and foreign policy. These themes are central to how China is positioning itself in the world.
Below are several key takeaways that shed light on how China is signalling its next moves.
1. Economic Strategy
A continued 5% GDP Target underscores a shift from growth to quality-led development.
Industrial upgrading by focusing on AI, green tech, and digital transformation.
Boosting consumption to stabilise property markets and energise household spending. China’s strategy to boost consumption relies on policy nudges, incentives, and targeted sectoral reforms—all while maintaining control over macroeconomic stability.
President Xi Jinping alluded to one of these policy nudges when he reaffirmed a stable RMB exchange rate, signalling a longer-term push for RMB internationalisation, especially in cross-border trade and energy. This is a strategy which could gradually challenge US dollar dominance.
2. Technological Sovereignty
The “New Productive Forces” narrative centres on breakthroughs in semiconductors, AI, biotech, and quantum computing.
R&D investment which is one of the forces driving technology decoupling and supply chain shifts—especially in strategic materials like gallium and lithium.
During the Two Sessions Xi Jinping emphasised the critical role of technological innovation in driving economic development and urged provincial governments like Jiangsu – one of China's wealthiest and industrialised provinces - to take the lead. An uptick in technology innovation out of Jiangsu and overall tighter technology alignments across China can be expected. It is possible that these factors could increase global technology stockpiling leading to price volatility in critical commodities.
3. Geopolitical Posture
Emphasis on multilateralism through BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partnerships signals an effort to shape global norms in trade, cybersecurity, and economic development.
This represents a model of selective globalisation, which is also characterised by welcoming investment while shielding key sectors.
At his 7 March 2025 press conference, Foreign Minister Wang Yi described China as a “source of stability” poised to “anchor the world” - which commentators have called a pointed critique of US trade policies and a calculated move to cast China as the more reliable global power. The message targets emerging and developing nations, where Beijing is leveraging platforms like BRICS, the SCO, and the BRI to offer a competing model to the US-led international order. This challenges the West to respond not only economically, but strategically.
Given the geopolitical weight of the Two Sessions, it's critical to consider both the official statements, and unofficial narratives unfolding alongside them, to examine how China’s messaging is amplified, interpreted, or subtly reframed across different platforms. In this blog, we've demonstrated that despite tight media controls, platforms like WeChat, BiliBili, and DeepSeek provide valuable alternative access to policy signals and public sentiment.
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