Long Reads: China’s Next Decade w/ Eli Friedman

Jacobin Radio · Jul 31, 2026 · 59m

Over the last couple of years, media coverage of China has focused on the trade war launched by the Trump administration. While Trump and his tariffs have been grabbing the headlines, there have been some major developments in China’s domestic political economy.

So far this year, the Chinese authorities have announced plans to reform the hukou system that controls the movement of workers around the country. They’ve also published their latest five-year plan setting out development goals for the rest of the decade.

Eli Friedman joins Long Reads to talk about what’s been happening in China. Eli…