NEW HAVEN, Connecticut — A few years ago, I had a hunch that China’s long-standing culture of spirited debate over economic policy would disappear. And now that has come to pass. That is the message sent by the sad demise of the China Development Forum (CDF), a gathering that I had the privilege of attending since its inception. Until this year, that is. After participating in 25 consecutive CDFs — making me the longest-attending foreign delegate — I was not invited in 2026. The organizers belatedly sent a perfunctory note thanking me for my participation over the years, along with…