The Economist this week

Welcome to the newsletter highlighting The Economist’s best writing on the pandemic.

Our cover this week looks at the resilience of the Chinese economy under Xi Jinping as confrontation between America and China escalates. China’s state capitalism is entering a new stage—call it Xinomics—involving tight control over the economic cycle, a more efficient state and a blurring of the boundary between state and private firms. America and its allies must prepare for a long contest between open societies and China’s ruthless mix of autocracy, technology and dynamism.

In our coverage on the pandemic, we report on how photographers who document the impact of covid-19 must grapple with thorny ethical problems. An online “By invitation” column by Nicholas Christakis sets out the epidemiological factors that make SARS-CoV-2 (as the virus is called) so much deadlier and harder to control than the other six coronaviruses that infect humans. 

Governments are pumping vast amounts of money to sustain crippled economies. In America, though, gridlock in Congress is holding up a second fiscal-stimulus bill. In the euro zone, the European Central Bank is testing the limits of monetary stimulus. And poor countries are suffering from a crunch in microfinance. The pandemic’s consequences for global demand are being felt by firms including Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer. 

Social distancing has profoundly changed the way people behave. Our writers bemoan the decline of the office romance and of gossip. In Economist Films, meanwhile, our experts analyse whether enough money is being spent on the development of vaccines .

To keep up to speed, visit our coronavirus hub. We also track official cases and deaths in Europe and America. Separately, our mortality tracker estimates how many deaths from the virus the official statistics are failing to pick up.

In these difficult times, I hope you find our coverage useful.

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