China is set to present its medium-term strategic vision at the National People's Congress (NPC), amid the escalating armed conflict in Iran, triggered on February 28, 2026, by joint military operations conducted by the United States and Israel - operations that led to the elimination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and prompted Iranian retaliation through missile and drone attacks against Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and other Gulf states. The opening of the National