Haunted by virus, China gears up for annual congress

China’s biggest political event of the year opens Friday after months of delay over coronavirus fears, with President Xi Jinping determined to project strength and control over the outbreak despite international criticism and a wounded economy. The 3,000 members of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s legislature, will gather in Beijing this week in highly choreographed meetings to rubber-stamp bills, budgets and personnel moves. The…