Andrew Browne, former China editor at The Wall Street Journal and Beijing bureau chief for Reuters, will anchor “Semafor China,” a new weekly email newsletter about the country’s economy.
Browne writes, “I’ve covered China and the surrounding region for decades. Over that time, I’ve learned two lessons. First, getting the story right requires a sense of proportion; it’s a mistake to either glamorize or demonize the country. Second, be skeptical about prevailing narratives.
“When I first arrived in Beijing, shortly after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, most experts believed that China had set back its economy by a generation: The country would surely become a pariah, the thinking went. In fact, it was on the cusp of one of the greatest booms in history.
“Today, a ‘China-is-winning’ narrative has taken hold. Sure, China has towering strengths, but it is also saddled with deep economic malaise. It is this duality that has fascinated me for my entire career: China cannot be captured by a pithy anecdote, or a sweeping statement. It has defied predictions for generations because it is so vast, so filled with contradictions and complexity.
“Ultimately, I’m pretty sure that China can ride out a few bad quarters — or even a few bad years. But global decision makers can’t wait that long, and they certainly can’t progress without both collaborating and competing in its vast markets. They need timely news, analysis, and insight to help shape ties with China’s consumers, officials, and leaders.”
Read more here.
