Hong Kong outbreak; Xi and Macron discuss Ukraine; Xuzhou case; “Great Wall of data protectionism”

Xi Jinping has still not appeared in public since early last week but he did hold a phone call with French President Macron, in which he commented on the Ukraine situation, per the official readout:

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday stressed that related parties should stick to the general direction of political settlement of the Ukraine issue.

The Chinese president also emphasized that related parties should make full use of multilateral platforms including the Normandy format, and seek a comprehensive settlement of the Ukraine issue through dialogue and consultation.

The PRC side really does seem to believe that Putin will not invade. Do they know something, or is it wishful thinking because there are few to no upsides for the PRC if Putin does go into Ukraine?

Today’s Essential Eight:

1. Hong Kong outbreak

2. Xi chats with Macron, discusses Ukraine

3. US-China trade, “Great Wall of data protectionism”

4. Zeroing in on the likely 2022 GDP growth target

5. Real estate

6. Xuzhou case

7. Antisemitism on the …