China Brief
A weekly digest of the stories you should be following in China this week, plus exclusive analysis. Delivered Wednesday.
Peng Shuai and the CCP’s Clumsy Propaganda Effort
The cover-up adds to pressure for a U.S. boycott of the Olympics.
Xi-Biden Summit Produces Few Breakthroughs
The White House still lacks a coherent China strategy.
How Will Xi Jinping Rewrite History?
At a meeting this week, the Chinese leader will take the opportunity to turn his narrative into doctrine.
Can China Maintain Its Zero-COVID Policy?
Despite extremely low case numbers, lockdowns are becoming increasingly disruptive.
Why China’s Supply Chains Are Breaking Down
Fear of coronavirus outbreaks and recent manufacturing struggles are causing disruptions with global ripple effects.
Property Crisis Underpins China’s Economic Slowdown
Real estate has become the dominant investment in China because it isn’t taxed. The sector is in trouble.
Why China Won’t Back Off Taiwan
Concessions to Taipei remain politically risky in Beijing.
What Do China’s Taiwan Intrusions Mean?
Warplanes buzzing the island’s buffer zone send a signal to the Taiwanese leadership—and to those on the mainland.
China Faces an Electricity Crisis
Blackouts and factory shutdowns add more strain to the economy and threaten to disrupt global supply chains.
Will China Bail Out Evergrande?
Even if it does, the real estate giant’s crisis doesn’t bode well for the economy.
Has China’s Housing Crisis Finally Arrived?
The government seeks to avoid Evergrande Group becoming Beijing’s Lehman Brothers.
Why China Is Cracking Down on Video Games
New restrictions on how much time minors can spend gaming reflect broader ideological concerns.
Xi’s Prosperity Gospel
Beijing’s emphasis on sharing the wealth seems to cloak another attack on the rich—party leadership excluded.
Why China Keeps Spinning COVID-19 Conspiracies
A fake expert is the latest part of a state media push to blame the United States for the pandemic—at great diplomatic cost.
Will China Regulate Video Games?
A call for greater oversight of the gaming industry has undercut technology firms already facing threats of a wider crackdown.
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