Back in early-80s China was opening its doors to the world but things have changed big-time. Under Xi Jinpingʼs rule (since bout 11 years ago) the country went from sharing info to keeping it under wraps – and covid made it even worse
The risks of studying China are way up these days. Just look at what happened to the two Canadian guys Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor who got locked up for almost 3 years (they were accused of being spies); its enough to make anyone think twice about doing research there. Getting into the country is super-hard now: flights are rare expensive and some places like Tibet are basically no-go zones
The data situation is pretty rough too – even basic stuff like youth job numbers have disappeared from view. Foreign companies that used to help with market research are getting kicked out‚ and local officials dont want to talk (especially after what happened to Zhu Hengpeng‚ a big-shot economist who got fired for speaking his mind)
Hereʼs what researchers can still use to figure stuff out:
- Government websites with tons of stats
- Satellite pictures showing whats happening on the ground
- Social media posts and job listings
- Market data from stock exchanges
- Local government complaint boards
The funny thing is – theres actually loads of info out there if you know where to look. The Chinese government puts out tons of data online at stats.gov.cn: everything from house prices in 70 cities to factory output numbers. Sure you gotta take it with a grain-of-salt but its better than nothing
Satellites are super-useful nowadays – they can spot everything from new solar farms to container ships. Plus theres millions of social media posts citizen complaints and job ads that show whats really going on in places like Shanghai or Shenzhen. Its not perfect but its way better than just guessing whats happening in a country of 1.4 billion people
One man does not govern China. Xi cannot stop scammers from ripping off the elderly in Shanghai‚ keep delivery companies from underpaying their drivers in Chongqing
The whole system is way more complex than just one guy making all the calls. While Xi definitely runs the show theres still tons of moving parts to track – from local politics to market trends. You just gotta know where to look and be smart about how you put the pieces together