Massive catastrophe

The floods in Beijing and environs have subsided, and it’s been a quiet news week in China with the country’s leaders still apparently enjoying — or suffering through — their summer seaside retreat at Beidaihe.

One of the problems they must be discussing is what to do about China’s stagnating economy: this week brought new indicators that the country continues to struggle to emerge from the COVID slowdown.

Our Phrase of the Week is: Massive catastrophe (灭顶之灾 mièdǐng zhīzāi), which is how disaster relief workers described the deluge that nearly destroyed the small city of Zhuozhou, just southwest of Beijing.

Jeremy Goldkorn Editor-in-Chief

“I don’t think that the Chinese information ecosystem and policy ecosystem is entirely a black box. At the elite level, yes, personnel changes are as black box as you can get, but it’s possible to figure out, say, where the wind is blowing on economic policy. The Chinese information ecosystem is more like a stained glass window that allows some light to get through. Within that light, we try to sort out what’s going on.”

That’s the view of Manoj Kewalramani, an Indian researcher whose interpretations of the People’s Daily, the flagship propaganda broadsheet of the Chinese Communist Party, provide a daily guide to how China’s leaders are thinking. He is also one of the most perspicacious observers of India-China relations.

He spoke to Jonathan Landreth about his work: click through for an edited transcript of their conversation.

In case you missed them, our newsletters this week covered all the China news you need to know:

• August 10, 2023: Biden’s new ban…and Uyghur dentist is de facto hostage
• August 9, 2023: Threat of deflation hangs over China, and Xi’s organs
• August 8, 2023: Economic gloom, facial recognition rules, and China’s plans for Niger post-coup
• August 7, 2023: Chinese art students painted socialist slogans over a mural on Brick Lane in London, causing a ruckus.

Economic news from China has been consistently gloomy this week, with new stats revealing that China’s exports and foreign direct investment are plunging.

China also slipped into deflation in July, with fears that falling prices may limit the scope for new stimulus measures, or even herald a period of Japan-style extended stagnation.

More on The China Project:

U.S. President Biden banned new U.S. investments that could help China develop AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing, but Congressional Republicans say his executive order is soft.

Keep, China’s largest fitness app, bet big during the pandemic. Will it pay off?

China’s homegrown beverage chain Luckin Coffee surpassed Starbucks in domestic sales, although much of the product sold was not actual coffee.

Cambodia and Myanmar — two Southeast Asian countries with strong diplomatic ties to China — have introduced separate initiatives targeting Chinese travelers. However, with their reputations sullied by crime, winning back Chinese tourists is likely to be an uphill battle.

More on The China Project:

Will my husband notice this trash on the floor? A Chinese wife who’s fed up with her lazy husband has gone viral, sparking a lively discussion about a gendered division of chores in Chinese households.

In 1517, Portuguese ships arrived in China on the first formal diplomatic mission to the country in nearly 200 years. The mission failed — but perhaps for unexpected reasons, writes James Carter in This Week in China’s History.

Jan Morris painted a portrait of Hong Kong in the waning years of British rule: Read about it in the latest installment of Paul French’s Ultimate China Bookshelf.

School Bullying is a photo series by 19-year-old Hong Kong photographer Lean Lui that categorizes blindfolded characters into two categories: passive bystanders and accomplices to the bullying.

This week, veteran China tech watcher Paul Triolo returns to the Sinica Podcast to give a rundown on what’s happening in generative AI in China. Triolo is just back from a trip to China, where he spoke with numerous companies working on ChatGPT-type technologies.

We also published these Audio China Stories this week:

Pickleball has finally made it big in China, fueled by social media.

In 1517, Portuguese arrived in China on the first formal diplomatic mission to the country in nearly 200 years. The mission failed — but perhaps for unexpected reasons.

On our TikTok channel:

Summer break has started for China’s leaders and security is up in the coastal town of Beidaihe. Why do Chinese leaders travel there for their vacation, and does the event still hold political influence?

China’s economy slipped into deflation in July, adding to the country’s growing list of economic issues. How might China respond to this dilemma?

The Biden administration has released new restrictions on U.S. investments in Chinese tech. The restrictions are meant to limit China’s military, intelligence, surveillance, and cyber capabilities, but there are some who think Biden is not doing enough.