Super Media International Group in Hong Kong published a commentary in its April issue of its Super Media publication, elaborating on several issues related to Xi Jinping. The commentary stated that Xi faces five traps and that his governance path is first to establish his authority, then the rules, and finally the legislation.
The first trap is the middle income trap where, when a country attains a certain income (due to given advantages) it will get stuck at that level. On November 10, 2016, Xi spoke about efforts to overcome the middle income trap.
The second is the Tacitus Trap. On March 18, 2014, Xi explained that Tacitus, a historian of the Roman Empire said that when a government loses credibility, no matter what it says or does, it will be considered a lie or a bad deed.
The third trap is the Thucydides trap. Xi said in an interview on January 22, 2014, that China should avoid the Thucydides trap. However, Thucydides’ theory that a rising power will inevitably seek hegemony does not apply to China, and, further, that China does not have the genes to implement such action.
The fourth trap is Westernization and separation. On February 17, 2014, Xi spoke about this trap at a forum for provincial leaders. “The so-called ‘Westernization’ means to give up the leadership of the Communist Party and the socialist system and to implement the multi-party system and private ownership just as in the West, which is controlled by monopoly capital. The so-called ‘separation’ is to split China in an attempt to divide and rule. They intended to win a ‘war of no smoke,’ in order to achieve their purpose of disintegrating China’s socialist system.”
Lastly, the fifth trap is the personality cult trap. On some occasions, the lyrics of “The Sun Rises from the East” that praises Mao Zedong were changed to praise Xi. State media have also promoted such a personality cult. Many are digging a huge trap for Xi. They praise Xi only to set him up for his downfall later. Observers recognize that, to get around these traps, Xi’s approach to governance has been first to establish authority, then rules and finally legislation.
Source: Super Media, April 5, 2016
http://www.supermedia.hk/?p=870