Xibai Xu is formerly a D.Phil. candidate in Politics at the University of Oxford. He is currently completing his doctoral thesis on how the Chinese state regulates social organizations through the increasing use of market mechanisms and tools, including direct procurement of social services and indirect control over private charitable foundations. He has translated four books in political science into Chinese, most recently Sebastian Veg’s Minjian: The Rise of China’s Grassroots Intellectuals. He is also a regular columnist for Chinese-language media such as Initium Media, The Paper, Caixin, and Jiemian News.

Last Updated: October 18, 2021

Conversation

05.19.22

Is Beijing Changing Tack on Big Tech?

Rui Ma, Ruihan Huang & more
In recent weeks, news has emerged that China may be slowing its Big Tech regulations. On Tuesday, the CPPCC held a special meeting on the digital economy, with Vice Premier Liu He highlighting the need “to support the platform economy.” This...

Conversation

10.20.21

Tightening Up

Xibai Xu, Jude Blanchette & more
In what many observers have termed a “regulatory crackdown,” a wave of new legal restrictions and bans on business, technology, and entertainment has broken across China over the past several months, with what appears to be escalating velocity and...