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Can Chinese Authoritarianism Stay Smart?

Beijing’s continued economic growth depends on a fragile balance of control and freedom. November 26, 2025, 6:38 PM Comment icon View Comments ( )

A collage photo illustration showing Xi Jinping casting a long shadow on images representative of innovation: construction, semiconductor manufacturing, and robots, on a red background.

The man at the podium wore a dark suit and a red tie. Behind him sat rows of dignitaries in front of a vast wall, draped in gold, from which protruded a yellow hammer and sickle, framed on either side by 100-foot scarlet flags. In front of him, in the cavernous, red-carpeted hall, sat more than 2,000 delegates to the 20th People’s Party Congress in 2022. They listened attentively and took notes like

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