Protests in Shanghai may have been triggered by Covid restrictions, but it’s important to remember that's just a catalyst.

Deep-seated malaise has been brewing for years, especially among people who grew up when China was opening up. 1/7 @bpolitics
bloomberg.com/news/articles/… The gap between what looked like an increasingly open, global and interconnected China and today’s reality where the country is de facto closed off from the world; where exchanges with foreigners are limited -- is so stark that it’s led to increasing despair among many. 2/7

LAST MILE FOR XI: Today is the closing of the #20thPartyCongress at the Great Hall of the People. It's also the day when a new Central Committee of about 200 of the nation’s most powerful ministers, executives and generals is announced. @bpolitics #1/6 This body is the most important outcome of the congress because it determines the top level of the party for the next half decade 2/6

Tibet and its small delegation don't get a whole lot attention at the Party Congress. So it was interesting to listen to Zhuang Yan, executive deputy secretary of the Communist Party in the region, address reporters in Beijing on Wednesday. 1/6 @20thPartyCongress @bpolitics Zhuang, who is one of the top five political figures in the region, praised Xi Jinping's work report saying it “responded to the expectations of ethnic minorities living in border areas and targeted the course for the future development.” 2/6

THREAD: (1/8) I just got back from #Chongqing where everything in a word was HOT. It was 40-degree Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for most of the week and the hot pot lived up to its name. PLUS this Chinese megacity is a hot spot for tourists. bloom.bg/3vkrYfd (2/8) Implementation of Covid rules seem relaxed compared to other cities in China and domestic travelers are poring into the city, which mostly doesn’t require quarantine on arrival. Although some tourist spots did require a scan to enter. bloom.bg/3vkrYfd