Day: January 23, 2025

CHINA’S STATE media were not impressed by Donald Trump’s first days back in charge of the country’s great geopolitical rival. Xinhua, the official news service, grumbled that Mr Trump’s policies have become more “unilateral and hegemonic”. It cited a Cuban researcher who said the president’s abrupt reversal of his predecessor’s policies weakened America’s “national credibility and international trustworthiness”. A scholar from Mexico, quoted in the same article, complained of America’s rising expansionism. The Economist

China’s announcement on January 17th that its economy had grown by an estimated 5% in 2024, right on target, was greeted with widespread disbelief on the country’s social media. “It feels unreal—everything around me seems so bleak,” wrote one netizen. “The folks at the statistics bureau worked hard,” said another. On Weibo, a microblogging platform, more than 240 comments were posted below state television’s summary of the GDP news. Only a handful remained visible, suggesting that most had failed to meet the account’s strict censorship standards. Amid high youth unemployment…

YOUNG PEOPLE have always come to Ms Xia with questions about their relationships. Now they often ask the astrologer about their finances and job prospects, too. “People feel a sense of powerlessness,” says the 27-year-old from Changsha. She won’t give them definite answers about their future. But for 200 yuan ($27) per session, she will read their star signs and let them know when their luck might turn. The Economist