China’s new Great Wall
The country is building barriers to protect millions of people from rising seas
CHINA’s Communist party likes to think it is good at long-term planning. A glance along the country’s coastline might suggest that it is. More than 40 years ago Deng Xiaoping, the late paramount leader, started letting coastal cities dabble in free-market policies and attract foreign investment. Now the gleaming skyscrapers and bustling ports of Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai are at the heart of global supply chains. Locals’ wealth has increased a hundredfold. Immigrants from poorer inland areas have flocked to cities by the sea.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “A new Great Wall”
From the June 10th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from China
China approves the world’s most expensive infrastructure project
It has China’s neighbours on edge
Xi Jinping has much to worry about in 2025
A struggling economy, rising social tensions and Donald Trump will test China’s leader
How China turns members of its diaspora into spies
America is on the hunt for these non-traditional agents. But its efforts risk backfiring
How to get a free meal in China
As the economy slows, more restaurants are offering food to those in need
China’s economy is in for another rough year
Bold action is needed to turn things around
Chinese hackers are deep inside America’s telecoms networks
Rooting them out is proving a challenge