China | China and the world

Xi Jinping’s paranoia is making China isolated and insular

From his personal travel plans to capital flows, cross-border exchange is shrinking

Illustration featuring two traditional Chinese guards standing watch at a slightly ajar door, with a doormat displaying the word 'Nihao'.
Image: Chloe Cushman

“NIhao, china” is the name of the country’s latest effort to attract foreign visitors. The logo accompanying the phrase (which means “Hello, China”) features a panda—an image always handy when China wants to seem cuddly. Chinese officials have been touring the West to promote the campaign, helped by a video in which happy-looking foreigners intone the Chinese greeting. Those with a deeper grasp of the language might sense a different mood, including billboards on city streets warning people to look out for foreign spies, and government propaganda on social media urging vigilance against threats to national security. The Communist Party often tells people that tourists, journalists and businesspeople could all be after China’s secrets.

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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “The half-open door”

From the February 17th 2024 edition

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