On Sunday, the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing began with a speech from outgoing Premier Li Keqiang detailing the "turbulent international environment," "uncertainties" and "hidden risks" facing China as it recovers from the pandemic-related lockdowns. Li promised to expand the country's ability to counter outside resistance to its development and issued a goal to expand the Chinese economy by "around 5%" this year.

Though this is a slighty lower goal than last year's "around 5.5%", it still reflects the need for the Chinese leadership to cultivate better-quality growth for the long run. In February, the high-altitude Chinese balloon found floating over the United States sparked the cancelation of a U.S. Secretary of State visit that was meant to stabilize U.S.-China ties. Meanwhile, U.S. export restrictions