At China’s Communist Party congress, Xi Jinping sails on undaunted
But the helmsman warns of choppy waters ahead
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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