The party celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding in the French concession of Shanghai, and its leader Mr Xi delivered a powerful speech which warned that anyone who threatened to oppress the Chinese people would have their heads cracked as they hit the “steel Great Wall”. So no beating around the bush. This is a time of confidence for the leaders in Beijing—they believe the tide of history is moving in their direction, and who are we to contradict them? The economy continues to do well, and the pandemic is firmly under control, more than a billion people have been vaccinated, and much of the rest of the world seems much more wobbly.
Not much else happened this week because of the prime importance of the 100th, but China and Russia renewed their friendship vows, and that is important in terms of how things play out in the long-term for global strategic balance. If Russia were to falter, that could change the equation, but of course Mr Putin is good for decades to come.
What else? Didi Chuxing raised $4 billion in a listing on the NYSE, China is facing new cases in the WTO from Canada and Australia and Huawei looks like it might get its foot into the telecomms markets in some African countries, in spite of the adamant displeasure of Washington.
How a pleasant post-100 weekend.
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