Call it an Olympic-sized gamble. Ahead of Chinese New Year holiday travel and the Winter Games, authorities there are sticking to their zero-Covid policy. As Omicron tears through much of the rest of the world, can the coronavirus really be barred from the Beijing Olympics?
It is about much more than winter sports: more than two years after the first Covid-19 cases out of China, fears over Omicron contagion are again highlighting just how much the rest of the planet depends on China. Exports are not the only issue. As the country's growth slowed to 4 percent in the last quarter, China watchers are wondering about the impact of a construction sector with feet of clay and why consumer spending there slowed more than expected.
More broadly, what does the future hold for an ageing population? In 2021, China's birth rate slowed even faster, this despite the scrapping of the one-child policy.
Produced by Charles Wente, Juliette Laurain and Léopoldine Iribarren.
