China emphasizes economic productivity as growth slows

News Snapshot:

Understanding China’s economy often entails decoding oblique ideological jargon. Here’s a new one to add to the glossary: “new quality productivity.” Chinese leader Xi Jinping first used the phrase last September (link in Chinese). Since then, the party propaganda machine has repeatedly touted the concept’s “great theoretical and practical significance,” urging the cadres and the general populace to “deeply understand and grasp” it. Major state-run newspapers have given the concept prominent treatment. This week, Economic Daily ran a front-page editorial on how to achieve “new quality productivity.” Advertisement Boiled down, “new quality productivity” appears to mean leveraging scientific and technological...