Rumblings within China over President Xi’ Jinping's ‘wolf warrior’ diplomacy

President Xi Jinping’s elaborate exercise to pick up a fight with everyone to divert attention from domestic troubles is reaching a point of diminishing returns with a global pushback against Beijing and rumblings within the Communist Party of China over his ‘wolf warrior diplomacy’, a weakening economy and the twin shock of coronavirus and floods.

Cai Xia, the former professor at the Central Party School of Beijing that Xi headed till he became President in 2012, was expelled this week after an online recording of her criticism of President Xi’s policies leaked online. In this, she described President Xi as a “mafia boss” and accused him of provoking conflict with other countries such as India to divert the attention of the Chinese public from domestic economic and social tensions. In an interview with the Guardian, she went further, blaming President Xi for “killing a party and a country” and turning China into “an enemy” of the world.

There had been a handful of other vocal liberal voices too such as the law professor Xu Zhangrun and property developer Ren Zhiqiang, promptly axed after they criticised Xi or his handling of the coronavirus. Ren now also faces an investigation on corruption charges. Cai has suggested there were others in China’s communist party waiting for the tide to turn.

Back home, President Xi’s challenges within the party run much deeper than just crushing dissent and silencing critics in China. Xi, who has amended the party constitution to let him continue as China’s President indefinitely, has to contend with the rival faction of CPC leaders who took their baby steps in the party through its youth organisation, the Communist Youth League (CYL). The CYL has traditionally been an important domain from where the CPC picks up its cadres, many of them rising to senior positions in the party.

https://m.hindustantimes.com/world-news/prez-xi...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/18/c...

China’s image has taken a beating during this game to consolidate power. From Brazil to India public opinion is historically low. Relations with Australia, Japan & South East countries have nosedived.  Many people all over the globe think China didn’t handle pandemic & it’s informational flow well.