Money Talks: China reopens

<p>China’s draconian zero-covid policies have required repeated and lengthy lockdowns, enormous make-shift quarantine facilities, and endless testing for the population. They have also done <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/11/28/chinas-economy-cannot-bear-much-more-zero-covid?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=moneytalks&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">real damage</a> to its economy. After rare outbreaks of protest against the policy in several cities, the strict rules that have smothered normal life around the country are <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2022/12/06/china-is-dismantling-its-zero-covid-machine?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=moneytalks&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">being relaxed</a>, after almost three years in place.</p><br><p>On this week’s podcast, hosts Mike Bird, Soumaya Keynes and Alice Fulwood ask what this means for the Chinese economy—and the world. One of China’s best-known investors, Fred Hu, tells us the policy has been driving China’s economy “to the ground” and Goldman Sachs’ Andrew Tilton says that restrictions have shaved up to 5% off GDP growth. But what will happen as China opens up?</p><br><p>Take our listener survey at <a href="http://economist.com/moneytalkssurvey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">economist.com/moneytalkssurvey</a></p><br><p>Sign up for our new weekly newsletter dissecting the big themes in markets, business and the economy at <a href="https://www.economist.com/moneytalks/?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=moneytalks&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/moneytalks&nbsp;</a></p><br><p>For fu