Jessica Batke

Oct 3, 2023 | foreignpolicy.com | Jessica Batke

Swirling around in brightly colored inflatables the shape of flying saucers, riders grin as they skid across the ice, bouncing off one another in a winter version of bumper cars. Nearby, more people pedal ice bikes and row sleds that look like dragon boats. Others steer snowmobiles along a go-kart-style track. Children glide along in “princess horse-drawn carts” pulled by diminutive steeds.

Sep 28, 2023 | chinafile.com | Jessica Batke

China’s United Front Work Department, Known for Its Influence Operations Abroad, Is Even Busier at Home Swirling around in brightly-colored inflatables the shape of flying saucers, riders grin as they skid across the ice, bouncing off one another in a winter version of bumper cars. Nearby, more people pedal “ice bikes” and row sleds that look like dragon boats. Others steer snowmobiles along a go-cart-style track.

Aug 17, 2023 | chinafile.com | Jessica Batke |Eli Friedman

This week, China’s National Bureau of Statistics announced it would cease collecting data on youth unemployment. The news came after nearly a decade of poor job prospects for Chinese people ages 16-24, often reported on by international media as mainly a problem affecting recent college graduates. Earlier this summer, ChinaFile’s Jessica Batke spoke with sociologist Eli Friedman, who studies international labor, about the reasons for joblessness among China’s young people and how it is covered.