Keeping the borders closed may make it easier to govern China near-term, but the broader consequences would be tragic and potentially dangerous.
For the last sixteen months, the world’s most populous country has kept its borders almost entirely closed. Visitors can usually enter China only for specific “business” purposes, and if they have received a Chinese vaccine. Students, non-essential workers, and family members have seen their visas rejected. Those who get approval must submit to a hotel quarantine lasting 14 to 21 days — plus humiliating, medically unnecessary, weekly anal swabs. Unsurprisingly, the flow of foreign visito
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When Joe Biden took office, many of his supporters thought the first order of business would be unwinding Donald Trump's trade war with China. But his trade czar, Katherine Tai, has been largely MIA, a stark contrast to her predecessor, the fiery and ubiquitous Robert Lighthizer. So what has Tai been up to?
The academic tells us why it's important to understand the Chinese leader's political beliefs and where they come from — as well as their shortcomings.
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