[quote=FlyerInHi]ocrenter, your comments imply that Xi Jinping is an insecure paper tiger. Do you really believe that?
By all accounts Xi is the most powerful leader since Deng Xioaping. He is confident and can do what he wants.[/quote]
The idea here is the more insecure one is, the tighter the grip. The Chinese economy is riding on fluff with lax lending and relentless borrowing and bubbling real estate at all level. Foreign investors are retreating. The more developed economies of the coastal provinces now have to deal with more environmentally minded citizenry and their frequent protests (which goes unreported). On the political front he has made numerous enemies with his anti-corruption campaign, which simply cracks down on political rivals.
Is it any surprise that Xi is reactivating decade old border conflict with India just months away from the 19th CCP party congress this fall?
China is far less free now than a few years ago. Just today, we hear of further tightening with the blocking of WhatsApp services. I literally just read that article in the NYT when I happened upon your post here.
Let’s just look at Trump. He doesn’t have the ability to shut off Facebook or control the press. Instead, he just calls the press fake, as his position grows weaker, the fake press rallying cry gets louder. Would you say he is confident? Same idea, but applied in a country where the insecure leader CAN restrict the press and everything else and does with increasing ferocity.
