CPPCC opens; Hong Kong electoral reform; Xi and the "strong enemy 强敌"; WHO investigation

The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) opened today. The National People’s Congress (NPC) opens Friday.

Deliberation of “a draft NPC decision on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” is officially on the NPC agenda. There are still no official details on the exact nature of those reforms.

Earlier today Sinocism published “Dare to Face the "Strong Enemy 强敌": How Xi Jinping Has Made the PLA Talk about the United States”, a guest article by Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga. It is an interesting look at how Xi and the PLA talk about the US. An excerpt:

Xi, unlike previous Chinese leaders, is now much more openly discussing the importance of preparations for war with the “strong enemy,” namely the United States.19 In many ways, the Xi Jinping era is generally characterized by trends actually initiated by his predecessors—China’s military modernization was kickstarted by Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao started China down the path of a bold…