A strongman who is stronger than ever, or is this the point where Xi Jinping goes too far? A third term for China's president is sure to be a rubber stamped at a 20th Communist Party Congress that will further cement his stature as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. We ask how Xi got here and whether he is overextending.
China is still on course to one day overtake the United States as the world's most powerful nation but an inevitable slowdown of its economy is upon us, compounded by nearly three years and counting of a zero-Covid policy that we thought would be eased soon. But will it?
What are the consequences of a China that is more insular at home and more assertive on the world stage? Beyond the standoffs over Taiwan and Hong Kong, there is the growing unease of doing business with a country that uses forced labour in its Xinjiang factories. The West finds itself dependent on China in strategic sectors. How will Beijing’s relations with its trading partners in Europe, Asia and Africa evolve?
And then there is Xi himself, who has proved popular at home throughout his first 10 years in power. But despite strict control on information, can one single man and his seven-member Politburo rule solo in a nation of 1.4 billion people? If so, how?
Produced by Charles Wente, Juliette Laurain and Louise Guibert.
