More Human Than Human?

Chinese communist rulers have benefited from the odd Western notion that the Chinese have deep planning abilities and patience. This has been a rough period for that mythological genetic/party skill set.

The horrors of Shanghai 2-1/2 years after the Xi Jinping Covid-19 virus escaped a Wuhan, China lab should not be happening under the wise leadership of Xi Jinping. Yet it is not the only problem Xi faces:

It is one of a trio of problems faced by China this year, alongside a misfiring economy and the war in Ukraine. You may think they are unconnected, but China’s response to each has a common root: swagger and hubris in public, an obsession with control in private, and dubious results. Rather than being the product of statecraft with the Yellow Emperor’s time horizon, China’s actions reflect an authoritarian system under Xi Jinping that struggles to calibrate policy or admit when it is wrong.

This is the year for China’s president when everything has to follow the script. In the autumn he is expected to use a five-yearly party congress to launch a third term as its chief, in defiance of norms that he step aside after two and opening a pathway to lifelong rule. For this coronation to go smoothly, China must be stable and successful.

Shanghai is in a lockdown crisis:

China is committed to Zero Covid outcomes and has turned Shanghai into a virtual death camp [tip to Instapundit]: "The brief, temporary lockdown has become indefinite. Because the entire population is stuck at home, there’s no way to get food except via delivery. And because everyone is ordering delivery, the odds that you’ll be lucky enough to land in the queue are slim."

I've long rejected the notion that Chinese rulers have some unique long-range planning ability based on their civilization's long history.

Xi Jinping should worry that the people of China have long-range memories of punishing rulers who can't keep China calm and safe. As I concluded after that post paragraph quoted above:

If the concept of "the Mandate of Heaven" that bolsters a government or delegitimizes it when withdrawn still applies because of the weight of China's long history, "Emperor" Xi Jinping and perhaps the entire Chinese Communist Party is skating on thin ice. 

As Xi gathers power and seeks to extend his rule perhaps for life, Xi had best consider whether he can survive the responsibility for the trio of problems China endures.

Interesting times in China.

NOTE: War updates continue at this post.