Gwynn Guilford

China’s annual meeting to set the national economic agenda, known as the Central Economic Work Conference, wrapped up on Dec. 16–with results that will disappoint anyone hoping for a bold vision from China’s new leaders, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang. Though the conference has never been a platform for broadcasting dramatic policy shifts, this year’s unusually vague and conservative conference report (in Chinese) signals that China’s new leaders are likely to prioritize caution over effectiveness in their new tenure.