Editor’s Picks: August 17th 2020

<p>A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/08/13/xi-jinping-is-reinventing-state-capitalism-dont-underestimate-it?utm_campaign=editors-picks&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_source=third-party-host&amp;utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Xi Jinping is reinventing state capitalism</a> (10:20), <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/08/15/belaruss-election-was-a-sham-the-wests-response-has-been-feeble?utm_campaign=editors-picks&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_source=third-party-host&amp;utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Belarus’s sham election</a> (14:25), and the <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/08/15/the-decline-of-the-office-romance?utm_campaign=editors-picks&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_source=third-party-host&amp;utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">decline of the office romance</a>.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Please subscribe to <em>The Economist</em> for full access to print, digital and audio editions:</p><p><a href="http://www.economist.com/podcastoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/podcastoffer</a>&nbsp;</p> &#10;&nbsp;<br /><hr><p style='color: grey; font - size: 0.75em; '>See <a style='color: grey; ' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>