Economics
China on the Defensive to Safeguard the Economy and Xi Jinping
- U.S., Europe question reliance on China for essential goods
- China reassures business community, cracks down on free speech
Employees wearing protective face masks work on a production line at a factory in Shanghai.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
President Xi Jinping has re-engineered China’s foreign policy since taking power, imploring diplomats to expand the nation’s global reach with new international organizations and a worldwide infrastructure program involving hundreds of billions of dollars.
But since the new coronavirus has ravaged China, prompting nations to shun Chinese visitors and reassess supply chains, diplomats have played defense to protect the home front. That has mostly meant two things: Restoring China’s reputation among foreign companies that manufacture and source goods in the country, and ensuring Xi’s Communist Party maintains its grip on power.