China Is Not The Problem. The Problem Is Xi Jinping

President Xi Jinping speaks at a ceremony marking the centennial of the May Fourth Movement

Bradley A. Thayer and Lianchao Han, Spectator: Our real problem with China: Xi Jinping

He is the global leader of opposition to the US position in international politics

At the last minute the Chinese Communist Party chief Xi Jinping vetoed the trade deal with the United States, after his representatives had negotiated and agreed to it. Xi claimed that he will take the responsibility for ‘all possible consequences.’ This left President Trump no choice but to impose higher tariffs on some Chinese imports.

This battle over trade marks only the early rounds of the US struggle with China. China’s economic success was achieved in large measure by taking advantage of the working people of both China and the US. It was made possible because the US allowed it to enter the world’s free trade system.

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WNU Editor: Many of my friends in China will agree with this analysis.

Is There A Chinese President Xi Doctrine?

China's President Xi Jinping laughs during the Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York, September 27, 2015. REUTERS/CARLO ALLEGRI

Michael Auslin, War On The Rocks: In Search Of The Xi Doctrine

As President Obama sought to make his final mark in Asia, visiting Vietnam and Japan last week, he confronted the increasingly clear strategic goals of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Though Xi continues to focus on domestic issues, including a weakening economy, and cracks down on foreign non-governmental organizations with a new repressive law, he is also making clear that China intends to shape East Asia’s security environment. Although not formally articulated as such, put together, his statements form what could be called the Xi doctrine. This “doctrine” appears to reserve to China the right to use force to intervene in conflicts or crisis situations outside its borders, in order to preserve or create a balance of power favorable to its interests. As such, it poses a challenge to U.S. policymakers, who must uphold the regional rules-based order that has provided stability for over a half-century while at the same time ensuring that Beijing and Washington avoid conflict.

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WNU Editor: His number one focus is on the Chinese economy .... but in regards to foreign affairs he has been blunt. No war on the Korean peninsula (that is a message to North Korea), Taiwan will not be permitted to claim independence (but for all practical purposes it is independent but they cannot say it publicly), pressure Japan on territorial claims, assert its presence and territorial claims in the South China Sea, establish bases and alliances in the Indian Ocean (a military base in Djibouti, naval agreements with Pakistan) .... and all of this is being done to position China as the super-power in Asia .... which many are now acknowledging will probably be the defacto case in a few years (if not now).

An Analysis On Chinese President Xi Jingping

Chinese President Xi Jinping (pictured) has been dogged by foreign media reports of great family wealth. Daily Mail

Andrew J. Nathan, New York Review of Books: Who Is Xi?

More than halfway through his five-year term as president of China and general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party—expected to be the first of at least two—Xi Jinping’s widening crackdown on civil society and promotion of a cult of personality have disappointed many observers, both Chinese and foreign, who saw him as destined by family heritage and life experience to be a liberal reformer. Many thought Xi must have come to understand the dangers of Party dictatorship from the experiences of his family under Mao’s rule. His father, Xi Zhongxun (1913–2002), was almost executed in an inner-Party conflict in 1935, was purged in another struggle in 1962, was “dragged out” and tortured during the Cultural Revolution, and was eased into retirement after another Party confrontation in 1987. During the Cultural Revolution, one of Xi Jinping’s half-sisters was tormented to the point that she committed suicide. Jinping himself, as the offspring of a “capitalist roader,” was “sent down to the countryside” to labor alongside the peasants. The hardships were so daunting that he reportedly tried to escape, but was caught and sent back.

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WNU Editor: My Chinese contacts told me 2 years ago that Xi Jinping was an apologist for Mao .... I did not believe them then .... but if this Andrew J. Nathan's post is correct .... it looks like he is. But is he like Mao .... no .... not even close. Xi Jingping is pursuing his own agenda and his own view on where he believes China should be, and spreading the ideals of Mao is not one of them.

This NYRB post is a good analysis on the President of China .... and is a must read for any China watcher. As to what is my take .... President Xi has two and a half years left in his term .... and then he is gone. In his place I will not be surprised that there will be someone who will pull back on many of the political/military/economic policy decisions that President Xi has implemented .... and more importantly temper and scale back the anti-corruption drive that President Xi has been pushing. The only thing that concerns me is .... what happens if President Xi decides to not respect the term limit that he is under. What happens if he decides to stay in power beyond his mandate. This is what my Chinese friends are worried about .... and that is why they are telling me to watch out for flashpoints like the South China Sea and/or troublesome economic trends. If there is a crisis .... President Xi may stay in power longer than what many had originally expected and/or hoped for.

Chinese President Xi Visits State Newsrooms. Demands Total Loyalty

President #XiJinping visits headquarters of Xinhua News Agency in Beijing. Xinhua is China's national news agency pic.twitter.com/LNTN9Df4E6

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) February 19, 2016

DW: President Xi Jinping demands 'absolute loyalty' from state media in China

Chinese President Xi Jinping has demanded 'absolute loyalty' from the state media. Beijing is also to oblige foreign media companies to obtain state permission before publishing online.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the country's top three state-run media outlets on Friday. In this rare tour, Xi told media editors and journalists to pledge total loyalty to the state and the ruling Communist Party and its leaders in "thought, politics and action."

Liu Yunshan, the party's propaganda chief, accompanied Xi on his visits to the People's Daily, the Xinhua news agency, and state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).

"The media run by the party and the government are the propaganda fronts and must have the party as their family name," Xi told the media employees.

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WNU Editor: I guess he is troubled that the media is not giving him the "fawning coverage" that he believes he deserves.

More News On Chinese President Xi Visiting The Country's State Newsroom

Xi tours Chinese top state media, demands total loyalty -- AP
President Xi visits China's national news outlets -- Xinhuanet
China's Xi underscores CPC's leadership in news reporting -- Xinhuanet
China's Xi urges state media to boost global influence -- Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping goes on propaganda offensive during media tour -- Sydney Morning Herald

Chinese President Xi Jinping Wants To Now Be Referred As 'The Core Leader'

Visitors posing in front of an image of Mr. Deng in Shenzhen, China. Officials have suggested that hailing Mr. Xi as a leader of similar stature carries a warning not to question his authority. Credit Tyrone Siu/Reuters

New York Times: Xi Jinping Assuming New Status as China’s ‘Core’ Leader

BEIJING — China’s president, Xi Jinping, has already grasped more power more quickly than his two recent predecessors, and he has shown a taste for audacious decisions and a loathing for dissent. But a new push to praise him as China’s “core” leader, a term resonant with the formidable stature once held by Deng Xiaoping, suggests that his steely quest for dominance is not over.

As Mr. Xi confronts economic challenges and prepares to pick a fresh cohort of subordinates, he has demanded that Communist Party officials close ranks around him more tightly than ever, and references to Mr. Xi as the “core” leader have become a daily occurrence in China’s state-run news media.

“Such sudden, unabashed references to Xi’s dominance in the leadership suggest he finally has turned the page on crushing the cabal of senior officials who opposed his ascension and remains a man in a hurry when it comes to fully consolidating his political power,” said Christopher K. Johnson, an expert on Chinese politics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

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WNU Editor: I was in China when Deng Xiaoping was in power, and he was always referred to as the "Core Leader". But what I find comical is that unlike President Xi, Deng Xiaoping did not have to send a memo or have state media telling everyone them that he was to be referred in such a manner .... everyone knew instinctively that he was the leader .... "Core" and all. Chinese President Xi is a different character .... and he is certainly not as confident as Deng Xiaoping .... but he is the President, and his anti-corruption campaign has put the fear in everyone.... hence he is going to get what he wants .... for now. But this "authoritarian" push should not surprise anyone, China is facing problems, and the economy is President Xi's Achilles Heel .... As China’s economy unravels, Beijing’s attempts at damage control are growing increasingly desperate (Quartz). President Xi knows this .... hence he is consolidating his power, even though he has been President since March  2013.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's United Nations Speech

IBTimes: China President Xi Jinping UN Speech: Global Economics, International Partnerships Highlighted During General Assembly Address

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged deeper focus and a discussion on building long-lasting international unity and solving global economic issues as he delivered his address Monday to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. He said China was committed to making the world a more secure place and would be a powerful partner inside the U.N., while stressing an overall message of building international partnerships to solve the world’s problems.

More News On Chinese President Xi Jinping's United Nations Speech

Xi Jinping announces $1B UN fund and thousands more in peacekeeping troops -- CCTV
China Pledges New Aid for UN Peacekeeping, Development -- VOA
China leader backs UN police squad -- AFP
China Commits 8,000 Troops and $1 Billion to UN Peacekeeping -- Bloomberg
UNGA 2015: Xi Jinping promises 8000 troops to UN, $100 million to African Union -- DNA
It is necessary to abandon Cold War mentality — Xi Jinping -- TASS

Why Has China's President Been Going To Funerals Lately

A woman takes pictures of wreaths sent by Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders to Zeng Yanxiu at Zeng's flat, in Beijing, March 10, 2015.

Linette Lopez, Business Insider: China's president has been going to funerals lately — it's a sign of trouble

Chinese President Xi Jinping has been attending a lot of funerals lately, and it's because he needs friends, badly.

For months, Reuters reports, the president has been attending to the funerals of high-level, retired party officials from various factions of the Chinese government.

All of them are members of the all-encompassing Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but some are from the right-wing, market-friendly faction, and others are in the left-wing faction, which believes in a more pure version of communism.

WNU Editor: When my deployment to China was coming to an end, I told my replacement that if he should ever be invited to a Chinese funeral .... do not refuse it. Funerals for top officials in China are like funerals for biker gangs and the Mafia in the West .... it is an opportunity to see who is still around, to network, to do business, to form alliances and understandings ... and oh yeah .... I almost forgot .... to give one's respects to the grieving family.

China's New Leader Warns The West To Not Interfere In The Affairs Of Other Nations

Photo: Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the opening ceremony of the "Tourism Year of China" in Russia, in Moscow, capital of Russia, March 22, 2013. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

In Moscow, New Chinese Leader Xi Warns Against Meddling -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against foreign interference in the affairs of other nations during a speech in Moscow on Saturday, sending a signal to the West and echoing a message often repeated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Permanent U.N. Security Council members with veto power, Russia and China have frequently teamed up diplomatically to blunt the influence of the United States and its NATO allies and have blocked three draft resolutions on Syria.

"We must respect the right of each country in the world to independently choose its path of development and oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries," Xi told students at an international relations school.

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My Comment: It's been years, but I remember former President Reagan saying (somewhat) the same thing .... the U.S. is (generally speaking) not concerned about how a country runs it's affairs .... but when they start interfering in the affairs of other countries .... that is when the U.S. gets involved. An now .... almost 30 years later .... the Chinese president is saying the same thing. Wow .... the times are changing.

Xi Jinping Is Officially Named President Of China

Photo: Xi Jinping greets deputies at the fourth plenary meeting of the first session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 14, 2013. Xi was elected president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the PRC at the NPC session here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Xi Jinping Named President Of China -- BBC

Leaders in Beijing have confirmed Xi Jinping as president, completing China's 10-yearly transition of power.

Mr Xi, appointed to the Communist Party's top post in November, replaces Hu Jintao, who is stepping down.

Some 3,000 deputies to the National People's Congress, the annual parliament session, took part in the vote at the Great Hall of the People.

The new premier - widely expected to be Li Keqiang - is scheduled to be named on Friday, replacing Wen Jiabao.

While votes are held for the posts, they are largely ceremonial and the results very rarely a surprise.

Mr Xi was named secretary-general of the Communist Party on 8 November and also given the leadership of the top military body, the Central Military Commission.

This vote, handing him the role of head of state, was the final stage in the transition of power to him and his team, the slimmed-down, seven-member Standing Committee.

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More News On The Confirmation Of Xi Jinping As President Of China

China's Xi caps rise to take on myriad challenges -- AP
China’s New Leader Takes Full Power in Delicate Balancing Act -- New York Times
Xi’s election to presidency completes China’s leadership transition -- Washington Post
China's Xi appointed president, completes rise to the top -- Reuters
Xi Jinping becomes president of China with promise to use 'Chinese Dream' to grow middle classes and become more powerful than U.S. and Europe -- Daily Mail
China names Xi Jinping as new president -- The Australian
Xi formally elected Chinese president -- CNN
Xi Assumes China’s Presidency to Cement Transition of Power -- Bloomberg
New China vice-president Li seen as change advocate -- Global Post/AFP
China's parliament elects new state leadership -- Xinhuanet (China)

A Look At China's Next Leader

Xi Jinping, China's vice-president, is expected to be the country's next leader. Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

China's New Boss -- Wall Street Journal

Xi Jinping has charisma, a common touch and a beloved pop-star wife. But can he reform a Communist elite accustomed to the fruits of corruption?

Where is a new leader of China to turn for advice? Xi Jinping, who takes the country's top post on Thursday, knows better than to look to Mao, the revered founder of the Communist regime who vowed never to take "the capitalist road." Tell that to the hundreds of millions of Chinese who, in the past three decades, have risen from poverty thanks to market-oriented reforms.

Mr. Xi might instead dig deeper into Chinese history, to the austere ancient wisdom of Mencius, the Confucian scholar who advocated the "mandate of heaven" principle that an unjust Emperor could be overthrown. "Why talk of profit?" Mencius asks a ruler in his most famous work. If a king seeks profit over humanity and duty, so will his lords and common people, he says. "Then everyone high and low will be scrambling for profit, and the nation will be in danger."

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My Comment: What's my take on China's new leader .... it will be more of the same.

Sizing Up China's Next Leader No Easy Task

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta talks with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping during a meeting at the Pentagon, Feb. 14, 2012. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

Sizing Up China's Next Leader No Easy Task, WikiLeaks Cables Show -- McClatchy News

WASHINGTON — During his visit to the United States this week, China's heir apparent, Xi Jinping, appeared personable to American audiences and resolute to audiences back home.

But how well the Obama administration got to know the man who's expected to rise to China's presidency next year is uncertain. The public appearances were carefully scripted to allow Xi to show a warmer, folksier side than current leader Hu Jintao exhibits in public. Xi's private time with Vice President Joe Biden was, well, private.

But State Department cables that WikiLeaks published last year underscore how difficult it can be to glean meaningful information about China's political elite.

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My Comment: I have been following him for the past few years, but when I heard him say the following in Mexico in 2009 .... that is when I realized that he had a good shot at being the next President ....

..... "There are some well fed foreigners who have nothing better to do than point fingers at our affairs," Xi said during a lunch meeting. "China does not, first, export revolution; second, export poverty and hunger; third, cause troubles for you."

Blunt and to the point .... stressing very clearly that what you do in your country is your business, and what we do in our country is our business. My hope is that when he becomes President, he will stick to his word.

The Future President Of China Visits The White House

White House Meetings With China's Xi Under Way -- Voice of America

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden pledged the two nations' commitment to cooperation Tuesday, ahead of talks with President Barack Obama.

Biden is Xi's formal host during his visit to Washington. The two men were meeting ahead of the Oval Office discussion with President Obama.

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More News On China's Xi's Visit To The U.S.

Live Blogging Xi’s Visit to the U.S. -- Wall Street Journal
Biden greets Chinese VP for official visit -- AP
China's leader-in-waiting arrives at White House -- CNN
U.S. welcomes China's Xi with pledge of candor -- Reuters
Xi Visits Washington: What the U.S. Can Expect from China’s Next Leader -- Hannah Beech, Time
Getting to know Xi: White House prepares to meet China's new man -- Christian Science Monitor
Obama, China vice-president to meet in US -- Sydney Morning Herald
Obama Meeting With Xi May Set Tone for U.S.-China Ties -- Bloomberg Businessweek
U.S. Seeks to Size Up China’s Heir Apparent During Visit -- New York Times
Chinese press says US visit test for vice-president -- BBC
Foreign Policy: The Insider -- Kerry Brown, NPR
Xi Jinping, future Chinese president, faces test on first White House visit -- Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor
Views from China’s vice president -- Washington Post
Who Is Xi Jinping? Future Chinese Leader Makes U.S. Debut -- ABC News

China's Next President Begins U.S. Visit

Xi Jinping will arrive in the US Monday evening on a diplomatic and trade visit. The WSJ's Jeremy Page tells Deborah Kan how Xi's past may give us insight into the man expected to be China's next leader.

China's Xi Jinping In Closely Watched Visit To The US -- BBC

The man likely to become China's next leader, Vice President Xi Jinping, is set to begin a closely watched visit to the United States.

In comments to a US newspaper ahead of his trip Mr Xi sounded a note of warning to the US over its military stance in the Pacific.

He said scaling up military activity was not what countries in the region wanted to see.

He will meet President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday.

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More News On China's Xi Jinping Visit To The U.S.

Chinese vice president Xi Jinping departs for America trip -- Global Post
China’s president-in-waiting heads to Washington for a visit crucial to both nations -- Washington Post
China Vice President Xi Jinping begins US trip -- BBC
U.S. prepares to welcome Chinese vice president for crucial talks to strengthen trust between two countries -- Daily Mail
US prepares to welcome Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping -- The Telegraph
China's VP Set to Begin US Visit -- Voice of America
China vice president to meet Obama in US -- Yahoo 7 Nwes
Xi says frictions shouldn't define U.S.-China ties: report -- Reuters
China VP warns against US military focus -- Times of India/AFP
China’s Xi Warns Against U.S. Military Buildup in Asia -- Voice of America
Xi set for talks at the Pentagon -- South China Post
Early Hardship Shaped Xi's World View -- Wall Street Journal
In Charged Moment, China’s Political Heir Tries Introducing Himself to U.S. -- New York Times
The beauty and the boss prepare for China's top jobs -- The Telegraph
Friday File: Xi Jinping Visits President Obama at the White House -- Council On Foreign Relations
Who’s Xi? Probably not Hu -- Shadow Government/Foreign Policy

China's Next President Makes His Opinions Clear Against Chinese Critics

Xi Jinping. AFP / Getty Images

WikiLeaked: China's Next President Lashed Out In Mexico Against 'Well Fed Foreigners' -- The Cable/Foreign Policy

Not much is known about Xi Jinping, the expected next president of China, but according to a newly public WikiLeaks cable, Xi has been complaining to America's neighbors about "well fed foreigners" pointing fingers at China.

In a February 2009 trip to Mexico, the first stop in Xi's six country tour of Latin America, the current vice president of China blurted out his feelings about criticisms of Chinese diplomacy, according to a diplomatic cable classified by acting deputy chief of mission James Williard.

"There are some well fed foreigners who have nothing better to do than point fingers at our affairs," Xi blurted out at a lunch meeting, appropriately. "China does not, first, export revolution; second, export poverty and hunger; third, cause troubles for you."

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My Comment: So China's next President Xi Jinping believes that foreigners are well fed .... sighhhh .... we know nothing about this guy.

A Little Insight Into China's Next Leader

China's Vice-President Xi Jinping stands on the deck of a yacht during a sightseeing cruise around Valletta in this February 21, 2009 file photo. Photograph by: Darrin Zammit Lupi, Reuters

China's Next President "Redder Than The Red" -- The Telegraph

The man who will take over as China's paramount leader next year is only of "average intelligence" and women find him "boring", a close friend has reportedly told US diplomats.

After winning several key posts, Xi Jinping, 57, is almost certain to take over as China's president from Hu Jintao in 2012.

A "supreme pragmatist", Mr Xi devoted himself to Marxist ideology in order to "become redder than the red" and prosper in the Communist system.

The revelations came from the US Embassy in Beijing after an interview with an unnamed professor who was a childhood friend of Mr Xi. The Embassy briefing has now been released by Wikileaks.

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My Comment: Even after reading this article .... we still know nothing.