Drum Tower The Economist

Twice a decade, China’s Communist Party leaders convene at Beijing’s Jingxi Hotel for the “third plenum”, a meeting focused on long-term reforms that has, at times, changed the course of Chinese history. Last week’s plenum took place against a backdrop of economic troubles and growing doubts about Xi Jinping's ability to address them. David Rennie, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, and Simon Cox, our China economics editor, unpack what has come out of the meeting. They ask: is China doing enough to fix its economy and is Xi Jinping finally listening?

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Amid China’s economic slowdown, a small supermarket chain in Henan province is thriving against the odds. Pangdonglai’s focus on exceptional service, transparency and quality products draws queues to its shops and is raising the bar for what consumers expect from their local supermarkets.

David Rennie, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief and Don Weinland, our China business and finance editor, take you inside Pangdonglai and ask: what can the wild success of one local supermarket chain tell us about China today?

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Move over Beijing and Shanghai. Step aside Shenzhen and Guangzhou. China’s four “first-tier cities”, once magnets for new graduates in search of economic opportunities and big-city living, are out of style. Instead, bright youngsters are flocking to “second-tier cities” such as Chengdu and Chongqing, which stand out for their dynamism, culture and quality of life.

Alice Su, The Economist's senior China correspondent, and Gabriel Crossley, our China correspondent in Beijing, ask: what explains the rise of China’s second-tier cities? And can their growth be sustained?

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Nearly 80% of Tibetan children attend state-run boarding schools where Mandarin Chinese is the main language of instruction. The Chinese government says this makes education more accessible for the children of farmers and herders who live far from schools.

David Rennie, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, travels to a Tibetan area of Qinghai province to try to find out if this is the whole story. He and James Miles, our China writer-at-large, speak to two activists from the Tibet Action Institute, and ask why are so many Tibetan children in boarding schools, and what’s the impact on their home life and culture?

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China has many different regional cuisines, but increasingly the local palate is craving spice, or la in Chinese. Look back a few hundred years, though, and chillies were nowhere to be found. David Rennie, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief and Jiehao Chen, a producer of “Drum Tower”, ask: how have chillies become the flavour of contemporary China?

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The Philippines could be the next big flashpoint in the South China Sea, the world’s most contested waters. China claims nearly the entire sea as its territory, asserting rights over waters and islands that South-East Asian countries consider their own. While most neighbouring countries avoid confronting China, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, the Philippines' president, is taking a stand.

David Rennie, The Economist's Beijing bureau chief, and Sue-Lin Wong, our South-East Asia correspondent, ask: what is China up to in the South China Sea? And can the Philippines do anything about it?

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