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Zaobao’s Beijing correspondent Yang Danxu experienced a 14-day home quarantine for being in the vicinity of Covid-19 patients while in Gansu. From her first-hand experience, she observes that people at large have gotten used to and even expect sudden but orderly disruptions when outbreaks erupt and are stamped out under a zero-Covid regime. But as borders start opening around the world, will China be forced to open up to new mindsets of living with the virus?

Recent changes to the governor posts in Hebei and Liaoning follows on the heels of the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s new party secretary appointments in seven provinces in China. This suggests that China’s top leadership is preparing to bring in fresh faces to the next CPC Central Committee following the 20th Party Congress in autumn next year. Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu traces the careers of several prominent names to watch for in the coming months.

In a speech last week, Xi Jinping painted the broad strokes of China’s views on democracy, including criteria for assessing democratic systems and what such systems ought to do for the people. However, with the West convinced that China lacks democracy and is not in a position to preach about it, how far can the country advance its brand of ‘whole-process people’s democracy’? Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan explores the topic.

Fumio Kishida became the new Japanese prime minister despite a relatively weak political base. This shows that faction politics within the Liberal Democratic Party still provided some measure of stability in influencing outcomes. However, public opinion has landed on the side of wanting a leader with the gumption and vision to implement reforms and improve the plight of the Japanese people. But will this new administration be a force for change as the people want, or will the Japanese government go back to the days of having a new prime minister each year? Japan-based academic Zhang Yun takes us through.

New Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has just formed his Cabinet, and it remains to be seen whether and how relations with China will be affected. Japanese academic Shin Kawashima gives an analysis.

Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk examines China’s obsession with Olympic gold, whether for sports or geopolitical reasons. Chinese netizens are gaining notoriety for their sometimes searing comments on Chinese and foreign Olympians. Meanwhile, China's state media is busy steering public opinion towards being less fixated on gold medals and to have a more holistic view of the Olympic Games. Not only that, young Chinese Olympians are being profiled and praised. Could the positivity and dynamism of the post-00s generation be the best face of China’s future?

In recent years, the US Congress has played a major role in America’s unprecedented turn against China. Will China prove to be the factor to bring both parties together in Congress?

Heng Kim Song has been the freelance editorial cartoonist

The adoption of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) with significant targets for the development of renewable energy and other green technologies, together with the launch of a national carbon emissions trading scheme, indicates that the Chinese leadership is committed to policies that should reduce the nation’s carbon footprint, ultimately leading to a zero-emission economy by 2060. However, the complexities of implementing these policies are daunting, with stakeholders that are likely to resist change and reforms that require substantial investment over the next decades.