Xi Jinping’s hunger for power is hurting China’s economy

As China’s political system becomes ever more closed, set-piece public events offer one of the few remaining windows into decision-making. The most important such annual gathering, of the rubber-stamp parliament, is under way in Beijing. The top leaders and thousands of delegates will attend for a week. So far the signals are not reassuring. They suggest that China lacks a robust plan to deal with its economic slump and that some of its targets are fanciful. Power is being concentrated even further in the hands of President Xi Jinping.