China the enigma

A frequently-mentioned quote about Communist Russia was that it was ''a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma'' (Winston Churchill). These three similar words indicated that it was not possible to understand Russia just from one perspective. At that time Soviet Russia was substantially unknown: it was a country or group of states with hundreds of millions of inhabitants, a vast territory, political links around the world, deep natural resources, a large army ...

Today China is a vital country in the world which is similarly difficult to analyse. I thought about this as I read some of the many reactions to the end of China's National People's Congress earlier this week. Probably you don't…