The National People’s Congress, which opens Friday, has no real power. But the ruling Communist Party uses the gathering of 3,000-plus delegates to showcase economic and social plans. The party-appointed delegates, who don’t represent the public, endorse decisions already made by party leaders.
The NPC usually focuses on domestic issues but those increasingly are overshadowed by geopolitics, including a feud with Washington over technology and security. In October, party leaders declared that making China a self-reliant “technology power” is this year’s economic priority.
Chinese leaders were rattled after Washington cut off access to U.S. processor chips and other inputs needed by telecom equipment giant Huawei and some other companies. That threatens fledgling industries seen by Beijing as a path to prosperity and global influence.
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