China emphasizes economic productivity as growth slows

Understanding China's economy often entails decoding oblique ideological jargon. Here's a new one to add to the glossary: "new quality productivity." Chinese leader Xi Jinping first used the phrase last September (link in Chinese). Since then, the party propaganda machine has repeatedly touted the concept's "great theoretical and practical significance," urging the cadres and the general populace to "deeply understand and grasp" it. Major state-run newspapers have given the concept prominent treatment. This week, Economic Daily ran a front-page editorial on how to achieve "new quality productivity." Advertisement Boiled down, "new quality productivity" appears to mean leveraging scientific and technological…