Happy summer solstice 夏至!

Summary of the Essential Eight:

1. Outbreaks - Jilin City is back in lockdown andMacau has a new outbreak, which raises concerns about infections spreading over the border into Zhuhai and beyond, as they did into Shenzhen from the big Hong Kong outbreak a few months ago. I am still struggling to understand how the authorities are going to avoid new rounds of mass lockdowns as the Omicron sub-variants that are even more transmissible eventually make it into the PRC.

2. Another Xi book - This one is a compilation of Xi’s discourses on youth-related work. If my math is correct there have now been eight new Xi books released since June 1. It is almost like the relevant organs are building up to something, and that we are far from from "Peak Xi"...

3. Li Keqiang inspects crops and power supplies in Hebei - The messages from his tour focus on grain security and guarantee of power supplies.

4. National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) meets - Among the items on the ag…