Along the road came word of China's hunt for spies, sharper since Xi Jinping took power in 2012. Ambrose frets over a Shanghai park sign that lists a number for reporting spies. Pim will report the ducks. The Toll Keeper: by law the apps share your data with the state. Prudence: so the returning traveller never messaged his old friends.
China's hunt for spies has escalated sharply since Xi Jinping took power in 2012: a Shanghai park sign gives a phone number for reporting espionage, apps such as WeChat must by law share user data with the authorities, so the returning writer did not contact his old friends, and in Hunan a man followed him to a beach with his phone camera running.
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A Long Way From Deng
New York Times · Dec 9, 2026
