Xi — Insecurity & Personal Rule

a history of blunders and overreach

An unprecedented third term!

Is Xi turning into Mao? That’s for sure. But there is much more to it. And I think henceforth, we should call China’s paramount leader Emperor Xi. Here is why:

Xi is famously fond of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Five points stand out from that period of Chinese history. First, the Han Chinese were in power again (after centuries of foreign rule). Xi wants to unify all of China under the umbrella of the Han culture. Second, China sent its treasure ships all the way to Africa, to boost China’s prestige by displaying its wealth and technological superiority. And if those weren’t sufficiently persuasive, thousands of soldiers and hundreds of cannons were at the ready, to flex China’s military muscle. Xi has mentioned these 15th-century Chinese sea voyages and referred to them as peaceful. They were not. And neither are China’s military actions now, for which Xi has built the largest navy in the world. Third, the Ming built China’s Great Wall (they actually enhanced and expanded an earlier wall). Xi is building China’s Great Firewall, to keep foreign internet intruders (read democratic ideas) out of China and control its people. Fourth, there is a historical narrative that China grew so wealthy during the Ming era that most Chinese were more interested in…