Day: January 16, 2025

LIKE LORD VOLDEMORT from Harry Potter, “Made in China 2025” is an initiative which induces so much fear and loathing abroad that Chinese officials dare not speak its name. The plan, introduced a decade ago, called for pouring money and resources into dozens of industries. The goal was to turn China into a green and innovative “manufacturing power”, one that relied less on labour and Western supply chains, and more on automation and new home-grown technologies. This was Xi Jinping’s vision for the Chinese economy. The Economist

LAWYERS TEND not to inspire much sympathy, but spare a thought for the foreigners drafting briefs in China. For decades they have confronted a politicised legal system and navigated a difficult regulatory environment. Now they are facing new pressures. China’s sluggish economy and geopolitical tensions have been bad for business, such that many big-name foreign firms are leaving the country. The Economist

ON DECEMBER 19th relatives of Xing Yanjun gathered in Beijing to mourn the businessman’s death eight months earlier, allegedly by hanging himself while in police custody. At the event a document was read out. It was a statement by the police that Xing’s case had been closed “in the absence of criminal facts”. The outrage his death has caused, however, will take far longer to dissipate. The Economist