WHICH COUNTRIES should shell out more to save the planet? That is one of the big questions being asked at COP29, the UN’s climate summit in Baku this month. A common answer is China, which Westerners accuse of contributing too little to efforts aimed at helping poor countries cope with climate change. For nearly two decades China, the world’s second-largest economy, has been the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide. The Economist
ECONOMISTS SOMETIMES say that China suffers from the three Ds: debt, deflation and poor demography. America’s presidential election added a fourth: Donald Trump, who has threatened to slap high tariffs on Chinese exports when he returns to the White House. To counter these dangers, investors had hoped China would announce a decisive fiscal rescue package after a legislative meeting on November 8th. China’s leaders, though, seem stuck in a cautious crouch. After the meeting, the finance ministry unveiled a new plan to tackle one of the Ds: debt. But it…
These have been heady times for players of China’s stockmarkets. After the government began ramping up measures in late September to inject new life into a flagging economy, share prices soared, before settling back a bit as investors waited for details. Senior legislators revealed more stimulus measures on November 8th. But public anxiety about the economy’s long-term prospects may prove hard to dispel. That was true even before Donald Trump, who is threatening massive tariffs on Chinese goods, became America’s president-elect. The Economist
For Communist Party leaders, Donald Trump’s electoral success confirms their deepest prejudices about the decline of America and the decadence of its democracy. Towards the end of Mr Trump’s first term, Chinese officials privately shared their judgment that he did not know much about the world—and that all he really cared about were his own interests. They ascribed his victory in 2016 to populism, driven by inequality and the heartlessness of American society. His re-election is unlikely to shake those views. The Economist
As he prepares for a second term, Donald Trump will receive the same simple message from all 18 of America’s intelligence agencies: Russia may be causing mayhem in Europe, but only China has the wherewithal to mount a global challenge. “Beijing is accelerating the development of key capabilities,” said the co-ordinating body for American spooks last year. Those capabilities, it added, are ones that China “believes the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) needs to confront the United States in a large-scale, sustained conflict”. The Economist
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