Enemies Circling China’s Xi? New Statesman

The Covid-19 pandemic is roiling governments around the globe, even China, despite a propaganda push that maintains China contained the virus with success. After centralizing control, China’s President Xi Jinping can expect to bear responsibility for pandemic-related challenges, including high debt levels, unemployment, an aging population and families hesitant to have more than one child, stalled productivity, and a collapsed export market. “Pushback against the Chinese leadership abroad is quite transparent and patently rising, but domestic opposition is more intriguing because it is so opaque and hard to evaluate,” explains George Magnus for New Statesman. “Centralisation of power and authority have been key to China’s coronavirus response, including cranking up medical equipment supplies at home and overseas. Tools of social control using AI, the social credit system and new health-related apps have played a major role.” Reduced transparency lessens public awareness and eliminates valuable public feedback. Magnus points out that the government investigates critics and has punished more than a million party members. For Xi and many other leaders, political futures rest on avoiding a second wave of infections. He concludes, “Domestic opposition to Xi might crystallise more if only there were a united and orchestrated Western counter to China’s bid to shape global institutions and nations according to its own standards and values.” – YaleGlobal