Some struggle economically as China's 20th Communist Party Congress begins

Oct 14, 2022
Under President Xi Jinping, tech and real estate oversight has tightened, while the private tutoring sector has been flattened.
A sign celebrating the Chinese Communist Party's 100th anniversary sits prominently in a commercial center in Shanghai in 2021.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

As the CCP celebrates its centennial, how communist is China's economy?

Jul 6, 2021
Starting in 1978, China’s ruling Communist Party has steadily embraced market reforms and transformed the country into the world’s second largest economy. What remains of the Chinese socialist system?
Young Chinese listening to punk music at the MIDI rock music festival in June.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

U.S. sanctions will be a challenge for Cuba’s economy

May 1, 2019
Provisions of a 1996 U.S. law cracking down on Cuba will be fully implemented on Thursday.
Cuba's embassy in Washington, D.C.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

What China's party congress means for the average Joe

A meeting of high-ranking officials in China signals the country's direction.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech during the opening session of the 19th Communist Party Congress held at the Great Hall of the People today in Beijing.
Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

The anatomy of a Shanghai land grab: Residents kidnapped, their homes destroyed

Oct 16, 2013
Local governments in China have taken the homes of at least 40 million people, selling that land to developers, in order to keep GDP growth figures well into the black.

An old friend of the party assesses China's new leaders

Nov 19, 2012
Sidney Rittenberg is one of the few Americans to join China's Communist Party. The one-time translator for Mao Tse-tung hopes China's new leaders have the courage to reform.