China
Rumors of relaxations + US midterms
Dear reader,
The auto show in Beijing is canceled. The reason: Covid. A look at the new infection numbers in the city leaves heads shaking, which has become something of a habit. There were 95 new cases on Wednesday. Incomprehension is followed by speculation – are there any signs that zero-Covid will soon be abandoned? Hopes for this have now been unmistakenly rejected by the Politburo Standing Committee in its first meeting after the National Congress.
At least Xi Jinping's side is in favor of minimizing the damage to the economy. This will do little to reassure the people of Guangzhou, a city with over 2,000 new infections, who fear a lockdown as severe as the one in Shanghai in the spring. Nevertheless, our author team in China offers a bit of hope.
How will the US shape its future China policy? Regardless of the distribution in the Senate and the House of Representatives after the midterm elections, the US will continue to tighten its stance toward China. Democrats and Republicans are united in one thing: their negative view of China. Amelie Richter's analysis discusses what can be expected if the Republicans take control of the House of Representatives and looks at what effects it also has on Europe.
