What the great reopening means for China – and the world

What the great reopening means for China – and the world
Tourists and people of Miao ethnic group in traditional costumes attend a ceremony to celebrate the traditional Lusheng Festival at Dali village on Jan 3. (Image: Getty)
The Economist
When its borders open on Jan 8, China will have spent 1,016 days closed to the outside world. The country’s “zero-covid” policy has been a social and economic experiment without precedent: a vast public-health campaign that mostly kept the disease at bay; Xi Jinping’s pride and joy; and, by the end, a waking nightmare for many of China’s 1.4 billion people.Armies in white hazmat suits have been deployed to collect tens of billions of throat and nasal swabs. Millions were quarantined or hauled off to fever camps, of...

More World

Trump lifts sanctions on Syria as it holds talks on diplomatic ties with Israel
World

Trump lifts sanctions on Syria as it holds talks on diplomatic ties with Israel

Foes Israel and Syria have been talking for weeks, officials say.

Oil prices fall over 6% after Iran attacks US military base
World

Oil prices fall over 6% after Iran attacks US military base

A US defence official said there were no known American casualties.

AFP 24 Jun 2025
CEO pink: This muted, dusty shade means power in the office
The Life

CEO pink: This muted, dusty shade means power in the office

In this hue, ‘I can totally own a situation,’ says one exec.