Cover Story: China’s Economy Appears Headed for Uneven Rebound

China’s economy appears to be on track for a faster-than-expected recovery, but it may not be felt evenly across the country.

When the government in December abruptly abandoned its “zero-Covid” policy after three years of draconian controls, many feared that an onslaught of outbreaks would lead to prolonged waves of infections in the world’s most populous country and further cripple its economy. But signs from the Lunar New Year holiday in the last week of January showed that the worst may have passed.