Tightly choreographed Two Sessions opens in Beijing as the world order roils

As thousands of delegates from across China arrive in Beijing this week to participate in the annual parliamentary session, there is a barely perceptible shift in the mood in the capital. Though few ordinary Chinese pay much attention to goings-on inside the Great Hall of the People, the imposing 1950s modernist building that flanks the western edge of Tiananmen Square, the ripple effects of this week's conclave can be felt across the city. Extra uniformed personnel have been deployed to stand guard on Beijing's bridges – lest anyone attempt a stunt inspired by Peng Lifa's protest at Sitong Bridge ahead of the 20th party congress in 2022. Virtual private networks – apps used to tunnel through the firewall of internet censorship – slow down, as the authorities try to tighten their grip on the exchange of information with the outside world. It is imperative to the Communist party that the parallel sessions of the "Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference", an advisory body, and the National People's Congress (NPC), China's rubber-stamp parliament, run smoothly.