China's president Xi Jinping is a huge fan of football. In 2011, he set out his three goals for the national team to qualify for and eventually win a World Cup. So far, the team has only qualified for one tournament in 2002 and it didn't score a single goal. Things haven't improved much since.
This weekend marks three decades since the wall fell, yet stark divides remain between East and West. We revisit that moment of hope that remains unfulfilled. Ethiopia’s Somali state was until recently the country’s most repressive; a visit to one of its prisons reveals a tremendous transformation for the better. And China’s effort to boost its national football team: naturalising foreign talents. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here
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