Month: October 2024

HALLOWEEN IS A time of scares—not least for the Communist Party. With few opportunities to express their frustrations with the government, Chinese revellers have been known to speak through their costumes. Last Halloween, the first since pandemic controls were lifted, young adults in Shanghai dressed up as surveillance cameras and covid-19 testers. One brave soul emerged as Winnie-the-Pooh, a podgy cartoon bear whom China’s ruler, Xi Jinping, supposedly resembles. The government dislikes this comparison. And it is increasingly clear that it detests Halloween. The Economist

The bookstore in the metro station beneath Shanghai’s city library seemed increasingly out of place in Xi Jinping’s China. Founded in 1997 by Yan Bofei, who researched philosophy, Jifeng Books was known for holding lectures on topics such as democracy and labour rights. Its selection of works on the humanities and social sciences was far from the Communist Party’s recommended fare. The shop was purchased in 2012 by Yu Miao, who hoped to maintain it as a liberal forum. But in 2018 the government refused to renew its lease. Officials…

Listen to this story Your browser does not support the <audio> element. Officials FROM China have avoided direct comment on North Korea’s despatch of thousands of troops to Russia, where they might help in a conflict that all three countries see as a contest against overweening American might. China itself is a crucial if undeclared backer of Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, providing technological support for Russia’s defence industries. But behind closed doors, Chinese officials may question North Korea’s move. To celebrate their forging of diplomatic relations 75 years ago,…

OF ALL THE people anxiously watching America’s presidential election, spare a thought for Chinese investors. Their economy is already contending with a property slump that began more than three years ago and persistent deflation that began over 18 months ago. Now they must contemplate a possible return of Donald Trump to the White House, bringing the threat of steep tariffs in his wake. The Economist

Yang Li is no stranger to online uproars. Four years ago the stand-up comedian (pictured) riled many Chinese men with a mildly worded ribbing on a streamed show. Her line, “Why does he look so ordinary, but can still be so confident?” remains infamous among touchy male netizens. On October 18th one of China’s biggest e-commerce firms, JD.com, dropped Ms Yang as a promoter of its services after an outcry from still-offended men. Yet women are fighting back. The Economist

Listen to this story Your browser does not support the <audio> element. Interesting, safe and easy to get around, China has what it takes to be the top tourist destination in Asia. Indeed, it was. In the first half of 2019, before covid-19 hit, China’s travel agencies handled 8.6m tourist visits, more than any other country in the region, according to the government (see chart 1). China’s border authorities recorded 47.7m entries and exits by foreigners, including non-tourists, over that period. But after plummeting during the pandemic, those numbers have…

THROUGHOUT HER campaign, Kamala Harris has hewed to the foreign policy of President Joe Biden. But there is a little daylight between the two in at least one important area: America’s relations with China. To judge by her limited remarks on the topic, Ms Harris seems less hawkish than her boss. She is reluctant to treat China as an actual or potential enemy and, if elected, hopes to maintain a dialogue with its leader, Xi Jinping. Unlike her rival, Donald Trump, she is not interested in a trade war. This…

“I can’t even do the maths any more! It’s so incredible!” With those words, uttered on September 30th, a retail trader summed up the state of China’s stockmarkets during a surge that lasted from mid-September to early October. Posting on social media, the man marvelled at the boom in share prices. Others told triumphant tales of enormous returns. The Economist

CHINA’S WAR games around Taiwan on October 14th broke records for a single-day drill. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) employed 153 aircraft. Taiwan’s defence ministry also spotted 26 ships, including a Chinese aircraft-carrier. As if that were not enough, China’s coastguard carried out an unprecedented patrol around Taiwan’s main island, calling it a “practical action to control Taiwan island in accordance with the law based on the one-China principle”. The Economist

Last month a 33-year-old woman in Xi’an, in central China, posted a video on social media that showed snowflakes falling on the ancient city. It was early in the year for such weather, so netizens shared the video widely. But it turned out to be fake. When China’s police found out, they detained the woman, accusing her of being an “evil influence” on society. The Economist