A crisis in WuhanFew in China would have expected the year to end as it does. Mr. Xi then acknowledged the pandemic had posed “a major test” of China’s governance. In March, a prominent former real estate tycoon with close Party links, Ren Zhiqiang, penned a searing essay directly criticising Mr. Xi’s leadership. Heading into the anniversary, the trend of political centralisation under Mr. Xi is only expected to continue, as also the shrinking space for dissent. That has prompted Mr. Xi to double down on his push for greater self-reliance, which he has called a “dual circulation” model that strikes a better balance between relying on domestic consumption and external trade.

Source: The Hindu December 24, 2020 16:18 UTC