Working out what’s going on in China is never easy. But the current situation feels utterly bewildering. More than two years after COVID-19 first appeared in Wuhan, 400 million people are now living under some form of lockdown across the country, amid security clampdowns, strict social media censorship and growing civil unrest.
What can China do to resolve a crisis that threatens not only the health and security of its people, but of the world’s largest economy and all those who depend on it? Naturally we asked the experts: Professor Jane Duckett and her colleagues at the University of Glasgow’s Scottish Centre for China Research, who have been tracking the Chinese government’s rollercoaster COVID strategy from the outset. Their long-form account of the dilemma now facing the country’s leadership, and the risk to President Xi Jinping’s grip on power, is fascinating and frightening in equal measure.
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A Shanghai refuse worker shows the strain of the month-long COVID lockdown.
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Jane Duckett, University of Glasgow; Meixuan Chen, University of Glasgow; William Wang, University of Glasgow
What can China do to resolve a crisis that threatens not only the health and security of its people and economy, but the future of Chinese Communist Party and its leader Xi Jinping?
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An unmarked grave with a headstone that resembles a computer screen, nicknamed ‘iGrave’, is seen in north-west London.
Leon Neal/AFP
Sara Suárez-Gonzalo, UOC - Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
The recent case of a man making a simulation of his deceased fiancée raises important questions: while AI makes it possible to create “deadbots”, is it ethically desirable or reprehensible to do so?
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The growth of benefits derived from reading for pleasure starts young.
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Raymond A. Mar, York University, Canada
Verbal abilities provide benefits in school and in one’s career. Fostering a love for stories and fiction in children should be a high priority.
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Nicholas Westcott, SOAS, University of London
The Ukraine crisis is significantly increasing political stress and potential conflict throughout Africa.
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Liam Collins, United States Military Academy West Point
On paper, Russia’s military outmatches its Ukrainian rival. But better training, strategy and battlefield decisions have helped Ukrainian forces keep Russian troops at bay.
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Mats Berdal, King's College London
The UN voted to extend its presence in South Sudan for another year. However, its success in the country faces many challenges.
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Françoise Baylis, Dalhousie University; Andrew Fenton, Dalhousie University
The heart used in the first pig-human transplant was infected with a pig virus. This reveals that using other species as organ donors may not provide a solution for organ shortages.
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Jon Rineman, Emerson College
Members of the key 18-to-34 demographic finds the format stale, the hosts unrelatable and the topics patronizing.
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Gery Karantzas, Deakin University
You’ve probably heard about those ‘36 questions to find love’. Where did they actually come from and do they work?
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Ziggi Ivan Santini, University of Southern Denmark; Charlotte Meilstrup, University of Copenhagen; Line Nielsen, University of Copenhagen; Rob Donovan, The University of Western Australia; Vibeke Jenny Koushede, University of Copenhagen
Our study shows that people who believe they can do things to improve their mental health have higher wellbeing.
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