Yu Dynasty Yingdala (4338-4636)

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4 JANUARY 4305

Grand Chancellor Zhang Zemin Hosts Shencheng Convention 4305
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Zhang Zemin speaks to the crowd full of international and domestic conglomerates at the Shencheng International Exhibition Centre

SHENCHENG, Han -- Grand Chancellor Zhang Zemin and his Republican Government hosted a major international convention in Shencheng this week. The "Shencheng Convention on the Universal Right to Effective and Affordable Pharmaceutical Drugs" is poised to dominate Indralan politics for at least the next month, as critics look to see just how popular this treaty will be. The Republican government is hosting this conference directly after a disappointing showing in the 4304 elections, so the priority of Mr. Zhang and his cabinet must be to forget the past and move forward - hoping that the people of Indrala will follow suit. The Republicans are moving ahead with the ratification process of this treaty without former Foreign Affairs minister Kong Bo, who was forced out of office due to Lotus Party demands for cabinet positions. Despite being a principal architect of this treaty, he will not be the one to bring it to a ratification vote in the National Conference. Enter: the Lotus Party. Zhang Zemin's tactful bipartisan approach to politics has proven to be beneficial yet again, as Kwan Zhiyong's Lotus Party has signalled its full intention of ratifying this treaty once the convention is over. Their full statement reads:

“The Lotus Party intends to ratify the Shencheng Convention agreement. Our party has long advocated for pharmacare expansion, including extending full coverage for low income citizens and partial payment for all citizens under the National Health Insurance Corporation. The Shencheng Convention will enshrine these hard-fought gains into international law.” - Lotus Party Spokesperson

The convention outlines several principles that are to be required in the ratification process:

Article 1
The ratifiers acknowledge that with respect to the research and development of pharmaceutical drugs., the policy of their national government and law should be:

The government subsidizes research and development of prescription drugs and regulates their prices, the government does not subsidize research and development of prescription drugs but regulates their prices, or the government subsidizes research and development of prescription drugs but does not regulate their prices.

Article 2
The ratifiers acknowledge that with respect to pharmaceutical drugs policy, the policy of their national government and law should be:

The government subsidises the cost of pharmaceutical drugs for people on low incomes, the government supplies free pharmaceutical drugs to those on low incomes, the government pays partially for all citizens' pharmaceutical drugs, and pays entirely for those of low income citizens, or the government pays for all citizens' pharmaceutical drugs.

All Eyes On Shencheng
The development of this treaty has been applauded by spectators on the left, who have long wished for safeguards on the stability of pharmaceutical drug access for Indralan citizens. Critics on the right, who have historically shown unwavering support for the Republicans, are furious. It seems as though Zhang Zemin is dead set on pragmatism and could care less about the wishes of his party's base. After acknowledging their fleeting support in Shu Province over the last decade, it is curious to witness the Republicans continue to neglect the portion of the electorate that most supports their party. Zhang Zemin must tread carefully if he wishes to see a Republican victory in the next election. For now, all eyes are on Shencheng.

More to come...

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Originally posted by TreeHugger on 19 November 2017.