The refrain, “after the Party Congress,” has been heard constantly in China. It refers to the idea that once this week’s official National Congress of the Communist Party meeting wraps up on Friday, maybe things will get back to normal after a series of strict pandemic lockdowns.
In the first episode of “On China’s New Silk Road,” The World’s former China correspondent Mary Kay Magistad looks at Chengdu, China, a stop on both the ancient Silk Road and the new one, for clues on China’s global influence via its Belt and Road Initiative.