The conundrum of how to de-risk and deter conflict with China is puzzling the West. But one country is ahead in figuring out how to deal with a changing China: Japan. In the first episode of a two-part series, The Economist’s senior China correspondent, Alice Su, and our Tokyo bureau chief, Noah Sneider, discuss how Japan sees China, and ask whether—after a tangled history of trade ties and territorial disputes—the Sino-Japanese relationship is at a turning-point. They speak to Aoki...

Taiwan is transfixed by Mazu. The tenth-century maiden lived in Fujian province–and according to legend, used her mystical powers to save relatives in a shipwreck. After she died she was venerated as a sea goddess. Despite her mainland roots, Mazu is worshipped widely in Taiwan. The Chinese government views Mazu as a tool to win Taiwanese hearts and minds. The Economist’s senior China correspondent, Alice Su, meets devotees at a Mazu procession in Yuanlin, central Taiwan, and speaks to...

Last year, China’s population began to decline for the first time since 1962 and its reign as the most populous country in the world is over. The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, discuss what China’s shrinking population means for its future and what scars the one-child policy has left behind. They travel to Yichan, a city in Heilongjiang province, where children are a rarity to ask what lessons can be learned on how to manage...

In this second episode of a special two-part series, The Economist’s senior China correspondent, Alice Su, investigates China’s repressions of Uyghurs at home and abroad. From 2017 to 2019 China locked up more than a million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in  "re-education camps" in Xinjiang. During that time most Uyghurs living overseas were cut off from everyone they knew in China. Recently the Chinese Communist Party has closed many of the camps. It wants the world to forget what...

Uyghurs inside China have long been persecuted. From 2017 to 2019, more than a million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities were locked up in "re-education camps" in Xinjiang. Many of the camps have now been closed but Uyghurs are threatened if they speak out. And the Chinese Communist Party is also trying to silence and control Uyghurs outside China. In this first episode of a special two-part series, The Economist’s senior China correspondent, Alice Su, meets two Uyghurs, Nigara and Kewser,...

China’s gay communities are facing a campaign of repression. LGBT support groups are being closed down and pride events are being cancelled.  The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, examine what the crackdown reveals about President Xi Jinping’s China. Darius Longarino of Yale Law School recalls the first time a marriage equality case came up in Chinese courts. And Raymond Phang, co-founder of Shanghai Pride, discusses why marginalised...

 Unicorns are becoming a common sight in China. In 2022 there were more than 300 private firms valued at more than $1bn—more than double the number from just five years ago. Alice Su, The Economist’s senior China correspondent, and Don Weinland, our China business and finance editor, discuss what these valuable startups say about the country’s shifting industrial priorities and how they fit into President Xi Jinping’s plans for “self-reliance”. We would love to hear from you. Please fill out...

Xi Jinping wants to centralise power in China. Recently he’s created new law-enforcement agencies that are answerable to central-government ministries, as well as a new brigade of rural officials nicknamed nongguan. The public reaction has been loud and hostile.  The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, discuss the online backlash to the reforms and assess the driving force behind Xi’s focus on law and order. They also ask farmers in Henan...

“Born to Fly”, a new film made in collaboration with the People Liberation Army’s Air Force, recently jetted to the top of the Chinese box office. It’s drawn comparisons with “Top Gun: Maverick”, the Hollywood blockbuster starring Tom Cruise.  The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, discuss what these two films say about how China and America see themselves? Sign up to our weekly newsletter here and for full access to print, digital and...

The story of Kong Yiji, a miserable scholar-turned-beggar, written by Lu Xun in 1918 has gone viral among young Chinese. A record 11.6m of them are expected to graduate from university this year, but the unemployment rate for people aged 16 to 24 in cities is nearly 20%.  The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, discuss why the story of Kong Yiji has caused an argument between Chinese netizens and the state. They also hear from graduates...

Whenever Xi Jinping grabs more power for himself, critics compare him to Chairman Mao Zedong. But is it a fair comparison? The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, discuss to what extent Xi is emulating Mao’s strongman approach or whether Liu Shaoqi, China’s one-time president, provides a better model to understand Xi’s political ambitions. Sign up to our weekly newsletter here and for full access to print, digital and audio editions, as...

Kinmen is caught in the middle. The tiny island is 187km from Taiwan, which administers it, but only 3km away from China, which does not. If a conflict were to break out between China and America, Taiwan would be the front line. And if a confrontation began between China and Taiwan, Kinmen would play that role.  The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, hear from Kinmenese locals about their history, their identity and their future.  Sign up...

The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, tackle listeners’ questions–what role does philosophy play in Chinese politics, how is the Cultural Revolution taught in schools, does the Chinese population support an invasion of Taiwan, and China’s best potato dish.  Sign up to our weekly newsletter here and for full access to print, digital and audio editions, as well as exclusive live events, subscribe to The Economist at...

The China-US contest is entering a new and more dangerous phase. The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, are joined by The Economist’s editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes. They discuss what the escalation means and what can be done to defuse the tensions. Sign up to our weekly newsletter here and for full access to print, digital and audio editions, as well as exclusive live events, subscribe to The Economist at...

In 2019, a cold, sleepy mining town called Hegang went viral for having the lowest house prices of any big city in China. Blog posts boasted of sizeable apartments costing as little as 46,000 yuan ($6,700). Many thought it was a hoax, others saw an opportunity. The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, meet the people making Hegang their home and hear why the pressures of life in China’s major cities are motivating them to move there. Sign...

In 1966 Mao Zedong unleashed the Cultural Revolution, a deadly decade of purges and bloodletting. Wang Kangfu, a schoolmaster from Jiangxi province, was 24 when the Cultural Revolution began. Soon afterwards he was accused of committing a terrible crime—one he says he didn’t commit.  The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, examines the case of Wang Kangfu and meets his family to hear about their struggle for justice. Sign up to our weekly newsletter here and for full access to...

For decades, China’s leaders have staked their claim to rule on economic growth. Now the focus on prosperity is shifting to self-reliance and security.  The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, interpret the targets set at the National People’s Congress with The Economist’s China economics editor, Simon Cox. They discuss what this change in focus means for business at home and abroad. And Jing Qian, the co-founder and managing director of...

This month China’s prime minister, Li Keqiang, will retire. He was once a rising star of the Communist Party and a contender to lead it, but under Xi Jinping he had little chance to shine.  The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, ask what Mr Li’s career and retirement reveals about power in China. They speak to two people who know Mr Li: Tao Jingzhou, a former university classmate, and Joerg Wuttke, the head of the European Union chamber...

China’s Communist Party declared a “decisive victory” against the pandemic last week, arguing that the country’s response to the virus has been a “miracle in human history.” We travel to four cities that have all played important roles in China’s covid policies and examine the effects of the lockdowns that took place in each of them.   The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, talk to Gabriel Crossley, The Economist’s China correspondent. He...

It is impossible to imagine Beijing without its hutongs. The ancient alleyways harbour the city’s character, culture and history inside their low, grey walls. But for decades the hutongs have been in peril.  The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie goes in search of the last of the hutongs and meets Hu Xinyu, a historian who’s trying to preserve them and their way of life. Sign up to our weekly newsletter here and for full access to print, digital and audio editions, as well as...

Sino-American relations have been blown off course after the downing of a Chinese balloon.  The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and our senior China correspondent, Alice Su, explore whether China and America are heading towards a stand-off and what needs to be done to avoid any escalation. The historian John Delury unearths the roots of distrust between the two superpowers. And, Da Wei, director of Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy, weighs up...

It’s been a year since Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin announced the “no-limits” friendship between China and Russia, but is it one between equals? In the second episode of a two-part series, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and our senior China correspondent, Alice Su, explore the rocky past of Sino-Soviet relations with historian Joseph Torigian, and hear from locals in Heilongjiang, a border province, about whether the war in Ukraine has changed their view of Russia. Plus,...

It’s been a year since Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin announced the “no-limits” friendship between China and Russia. What drives the relationship and which side benefits from it more? In the first episode of a two-part series, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, assess how the relationship between Mr Xi and Mr Putin has evolved over the past year and ask whether the friendship has any boundaries. They also speak to Wang Yiwei, director...

China is celebrating the lunar new year. The Ministry of Transport predicts that by February 15th over 2bn journeys will be made by Chinese heading to their home towns–and for some migrant workers, it'll be the first time they've returned since the start of the covid-19 pandemic three years ago. The Economist's Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, has a standing ticket for a train ride that’s part of the biggest annual human migration on the planet. He asks passengers on a two-day train from...

The recent surge in covid-19 cases has exposed the gulf between China's urban and rural healthcare system. How vast is the gap and what is being done to bridge it?  The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, hear how doctors in cities and villages are coping with the rise in covid infections. Winnie Yip, professor of the practice of global health policy and economics at Harvard School of Public Health, assesses the Chinese government’s plans...