China | The party’s progress report

At China’s Communist Party congress, Xi Jinping sails on undaunted

But the helmsman warns of choppy waters ahead

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he arrives at the opening ceremony of the 20th National Congress of China's ruling Communist Party held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. China on Sunday opens a twice-a-decade party conference at which leader Xi Jinping is expected to receive a third five-year term that breaks with recent precedent and establishes himself as arguably the most powerful Chinese politician since Mao Zedong. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
|Beijing

WHEN PRESIDENT XI JINPING spoke to the 19th Communist Party congress five years ago, China looked in much better shape than it does today. The economy was growing at a decent clip. Covid-19 had not yet emerged in humans. And there was much talk of “strategic opportunity”: the idea that China could expand its influence around the world without much interference.

On October 16th, as Mr Xi opened the 20th congress, the backdrop was more grim. China’s economy is sputtering, thanks in large part to the government’s “zero-covid policy”, which relies on draconian restrictions to contain outbreaks. Relations with America have collapsed. Nevertheless, Mr Xi’s speech was, if anything, even more triumphal than the one he delivered in 2017.

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