Wednesday Briefing: A Xi ally falls from grace

Plus, good news for the world economy.

Good morning. China has replaced its foreign minister, the world gets some good economic news, Israel faces a cliffhanger.

Qin Gang.Mark R Cristino/EPA, via Shutterstock

China abruptly replaces one of Xi’s top allies

Qin Gang was abruptly removed as China’s foreign minister after disappearing from public view for 30 days. The move ended the career of a diplomat who had been one of President Xi Jinping’s most trusted rising stars.

His fate has become a huge topic of speculation on social media, with many commentators focusing on his personal life and a potentially compromising relationship while he was an ambassador in the U.S.

Whatever actually happened, the move creates awkwardness for Xi, who catapulted Qin into his role ahead of other longer-serving candidates. Qin’s replacement is Wang Yi, who had been foreign minister until Qin’s appointment last year.

Analysis: “The suddenness and opacity surrounding Qin’s dismissal demonstrates the volatility that has now become a feature of China’s political system,” said Jude Blanchette of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Related: Pan Gongsheng, a prominent economist, was named as governor of China’s central bank.

Shoppers in New York this month.Amir Hamja/The New York Times

Good news for the global economy

The world economy is showing signs of resilience despite lingering inflation, the International Monetary Fund said, raising the odds of avoiding a global recession. But growth remains meager, and the fund’s economists warned that serious risks remained.

China’s economy is weighing on global output: Official figures showed a marked slowdown in the spring as exports tumbled, a real estate slump deepened and debt-ridden local governments cut spending.

By the numbers: The I.M.F. forecast 3 percent in global growth this year. It also predicted that inflation would ease from 8.7 percent in 2022 to 6.8 percent this year and 5.2 percent in 2024, amid the effects of higher interest rates.

Demonstrators blocked a highway in Tel Aviv on Monday.Oded Balilty/Associated Press

Israel braces for what comes next

Israel faces something of a cliffhanger, with the real effects of the government’s move to limit the power of the judiciary likely to remain unclear for weeks or even months. After a night of furious mass protests, quiet generally prevailed yesterday, but dissent hasn’t abated.

The country’s biggest union is weighing a general strike, and a union of 30,000 doctors said its members would reduce nonemergency care. Hundreds of tech leaders say they may move their businesses abroad, and thousands of military reservists have said they will stop turning up for service.

Supreme Court: The court has not said if it would rule on the law, which would directly affect its own powers. It could strike it down, avoid a decision or narrowly interpret it to limit its impact.

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When Gen Z met Slipknot

Nu metal is back. (Teenage angst never went away.)

Younger fans are listening to bands like Korn and Deftones for the first time, thanks in part to TikTok and the Y2K revival. In the nu metal subgenre, they find an accessible mix of metal, hip-hop, funk and alternative rock; a flamboyant sense of style; and a gloomy-but-relatable subject matter.

“You feel like you can do anything,” one fan said of listening to the music. “It’s this ‘I don’t care’ attitude. Like, you can look at me, you can stare at me, you can judge me, but I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing.”

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That’s it for today’s briefing. See you tomorrow. — Natasha and Amelia

P.S. Liz Johnstone is joining The Times as the first news director for the Politics desk.

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