Can China have it both ways? Can it keep out Covid-19 and maintain robust growth in the run-up to a crucial Communist Party congress in the autumn, one that could make Xi Jinping president for life? Beijing seems to think the answer is yes as it doubles down on coronavirus restrictions, even as the official number of cases drops in places like Shanghai.
Shanghai, the country's economic hub, has become the planet's focal point as the omicron variant hits production for many a Western corporate giant. This is about China's internal dynamic between north and south, and the choices made by Beijing since the start of the pandemic in Wuhan more than two years ago.
The West, which so long lagged behind, now finds itself easing restrictions as the death rate drops there. Is this just a passing divergence in the grand scheme of globalisation? Or will an invisible coronavirus drive a permanent wedge between what is effectively the planet's factory and all of its customers?
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Elise Marné, Iman Mellaz
