A crackdown on its tech companies, the collapse of its real estate sector, and enforcement of “zero Covid” have combined to profoundly impact China’s economy, with outside observers emboldened to question the durability of the current regime. The 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was once seen to be a celebration for Xi Jinping, highlighted by his coronation for an unprecedented third term as president. As ever, though, as economist George Magnus recently tweeted, “The Congress represents continuity and consolidation.” Magnus, a research associate at the China Centre at Oxford University, joins Maggie Lake for a conversation about the Middle Kingdom and its direction, noting that the economy and the private sector serve the interests of the CCP above all else. Recorded on September 28, 2022.