Li Keqiang goes to Guangdong; Putin on Pelosi's visit; Drought and heat; Helmsman 舵手
Summary of today’s Essential Eight:
Li Keqiang goes to Guangdong - Li Keqiang is the first standing committee member to reappear after the Beidaihe sojourn. He went to Guangdong, with job creation and economic stabilization on his mind. Official coverage of his visited was a bit understated, just showed his meeting in Guangdong with provincial leaders, but he also inspected Shenzhen.
Outbreaks - Outbreaks are still not under control in Hainan, Tibet or Xinjiang, and now Xiamen has three rounds of city-wide testing after finding cases of the BA.2.76 variant.
Taiwan - Putin weighs in on Pelosi’s visit, calling it a “carefully planned provocation”, the PRC sanctions several Taiwan officials and their family members.
Drought and heat wave - The drought and heat wave in parts of the country have caused power rationing in Sichuan and concerns for some crops.
Guideline to boost population growth - 17 government departments have released a guideline designed to encourage more births, in another si…