After China's Winter of Discontent, Xi Jinping Sets Sights on Growth and Power

Xi Jinping is on the political march again. After a turbulent year that ended in faltering growth, widespread protests, and a surge of deaths after China abruptly abandoned Covid controls, China's top leader is poised to secure even more power at the annual gathering of the national legislature that opened on Sunday. At the start of the National People's Congress, the Chinese government laid out a post-Covid agenda centered on reviving the economy with a 5 percent growth target, raising spending on military, education and social needs, and augmenting Mr. Xi's already formidable influence. The nearly 3,000 carefully selected delegates…