Chinese leaders observed a minute of silence for coronavirus victims at the start of its biggest political gathering of the year.
The opening session of China's top political advisory body started one day before the National People's Congress.
The government is facing unprecedented pressure over its handling of the pandemic, tensions with the United States and a slowing economy hit hard by COVID-19.
Al Jazeera's Katrina Yu reports from Beijing on that and other pressures faced by China's leaders.
