Confronting a changed world

Life returning to normal: People visiting the Confucius Temple Scenic Area in Nanjing, eastern Jiangsu province. As China’s mask and testing requirements faded, more and more people have started to throng temples and parks. — AFP

The country’s prospects for 2024 look uncertain, as a year that opened free of Covid-19 lockdowns winds down without the dreamed of robust recovery for the world’s No. 2 economy.

The wars in Gaza and Ukraine are straining China’s ties with the West. A US-China leaders’ summit helped get relations back on track, but also clearly defined the stark divide between the two global powers. To counter a US-led world order, China is pushing alternative visions for global security and development whose prospects depend partly on restoring its own economic vitality.