via Real Clear Defense.
While the coronavirus consumes the headlines, when we consider how China's leader handled the crisis, we can see larger pattern of behavior that reveals a consistent pattern of failure, whether in trade negotiations, decreased economic growth even before the COVID-19 outbreak, the global attention centered on the Muslim "re-education camps" in Xinjiang, to the suppression of democracy in Hong Kong and violation of its treaty commitments to the U.K. 2019 was a year of major failures for Xi's CCP.Here.
The result of this cumulative failures is that Xi's leadership is maladroit for the Chinese Communist Party and too reckless for China and the world. While these failures reflect poorly on Xi's rule, the miscarriages have two consequences for China's relationship with the rest of the world.
First, the failures are going to derail the image Xi's China seeks to convey to the Chinese people and to the world. The CCP under Xi has launched an ideological assault on the rest of the world via the "China Dream" strategic narrative. This is Xi's attempt to move China toward a confident and greatly elevated position can be seen in Xi's statements on the "China Dream," particularly its emphasis on "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" and developing "socialism with Chinese characteristics." The core of Xi's message is the belief that the Chinese model of global governance is superior to the status quo established by the West, particularly the Anglo-Americans at the end of World War II and in its aftermath.
Lovely. Many believe that the rise of China is inevitable but history shows us otherwise. China has rose and fell many times and I believe it will fall again. The question is whether or not we can contain it so that this time is like the past. It simply falls upon itself and doesn't consume the West along with it.
I believe we can IF WE'RE SMART. If we act in time. Love him or hate him but on this issue Trump is right. He fell short in his negotiations (stymied in his approach by business interest and so called foreign policy experts) but at least he tried.
The coronavirus might do what we failed to do. Italy has almost half their country on lockdown. We're headed to an outcome that will see major metropolitan areas brought to their knees.
This might prove to be painful but it will be illuminating to the business class. Just in time delivery and depending on China for manufacturing will finally prove to be unsustainable.
That's probably the one thing we can cheer about this trainwreck.
