China seeks to lead anti-U.S. alliance

President Biden wants to forge an “alliance of democracies.” China wants to make clear that it has alliances of its own.

China hopes to position itself as the main challenger to an international order led by the U.S. The world is increasingly dividing into distinct, if not purely, ideological camps, with both China and the U.S. hoping to lure supporters, our Beijing bureau chief writes.

Quotable: “They’re actually trying to build an argument like, ‘We’re the more responsible power. We’re not the spoilers or an axis of evil,’” John Delury, a professor of Chinese studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, said of China’s strategy.

Related: The Communist Party’s youth wing and official news outlets used grabby memes and hashtags to start a tsunami of nationalist fury over Xinjiang cotton. Here’s how it came together.

A #MeToo moment: Xu Yan, a woman from a poor village, was 19 when she started having s***** relationships with local officials. Many gave her money. But the public is wondering why she is the only person who was punished with a long prison term, while the officials got lighter punishment.
The New York Times