China’s rubber-stamp parliament to begin meetings, hand Xi third term

China’s rubber-stamp parliament kicks off nine days of meetings Sunday, with lawmakers set to hand Xi Jinping a third term as president as well as unveil fresh growth targets and an increase in defence spending. There will be few surprises at the carefully choreographed National People’s Congress, analysts say, with thousands of politicians flown in from across China to vote on laws and personnel changes pre-approved by the ruling Communist Party (CCP). Top of the agenda will be the norm-busting reappointment of Xi as president, after he locked in another five years as head of the party and the military…