The prestigious Time magazine ranked President Xi Jinping third on its highly-awaited Person of the Year 2017 list announced earlier this month. Did it come as a surprise? Absolutely not! Rather if it was not for the very rightful owners of the top title, he would have climbed straight to the numero uno position, beating his counterpart President Trump. Such is the might of his vision which serves as a preview of where the modern day China is headed to.
China is gradually yet surely emerging as a roaring giant with Xi’s clever string of policies that have enabled Chinese influence to expand wide around the globe. Being their strong strategic self, the Chinese have used investment, finance and acquisition as their victory weapons in achieving over a brief timespan what several nations cannot even imagine. China’s ‘Long Arm’ has stretched from Asia and Africa to the EU and as far as South America and even Australia. China’s economy and FDI portfolios are growing by the day and soon President Xi Jinping’s assured statement that China will develop into a “modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful” much prior to the 100th anniversary of the People’s Republic in 2049 will hold valid.
How has China managed to escalate the global leadership hierarchy is rather evident, but in a snapshot- one word it’s because of ‘Xi Jinping’. I remember studying leadership characteristics and historic personalities in my Sociology class. Sociologist Max Webber, in his analysis of contemporary societies, classified leaders into three broad categories: charismatic, traditional and legal-rational, and in recent times rarely do we witness leaders who would fit in more than one of the aforementioned categories. However, President Xi Jinping serves as an exception. Xi’s unparalleled sense of commitment, support from the Chinese civilians and his globally-recognised authority makes him the Jack of all Trades in the world of leaders. The 19th Party Congress marked Xi Jinping’s second innings and more so without a proposed opponent for once the second tenure ends. Therefore, it will not be unjustified to suggest that his brilliance, power and stable tenure can only be considered second to the great Mao Zedong himself.
China is on a winning streak under the current regime. In 2013 when Xi had introduced the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, aimed at strengthening diplomatic and financial cooperation by further integrating the Eurasian continent, the world would have never guessed the steady and successful voyage China had set on. Over $250 billion dedicated to the OBOR projects with almost $57 billion being invested in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), OBOR’s flagship project, is a strong reminder of China’s financial rigour and its willingness towards establishing an invincible presence. The formation of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the increasing involvement with the WTO, the IMF and the UN has made China an indisputable contender for the global superpower status, ruffling feathers in the US.
The US has been the ultimate protagonist, playing a pivotal role in global affairs, but with the rise and rise of China it has met a competitor like none before. Not only does the US share economic ties with China itself, but also understands the scope of countries lying under China’s economic periphery. Hence, in order to restore the balance of power in Asia even a lion like the US cannot resort to containment or coercion to prevent the inevitable shift, leaving cooperation at mutually beneficial terms as a prominent or only viable option.
At a time when most nations are struggling at their foreign policy front, China, under Xi Jinping, is sailing swiftly. Having said that, there are recognisable differences that China shares with the likes of Japan, Korea and India, and ongoing tensions in the South China Sea, however, with Gwadar under China’s wings the latter issue could soon be a thing of the past. In contrast, the United Kingdom has had a tough year with Brexit and the US has its own share of grievances leaving China at a compelling advantage in the world.
How long will the winning streak last? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure and that is the undying passion with which President Xi Jinping is leading his nation on the road up and all the way to glory. If certain predictions and presumptions turn true then President Xi could move beyond and be the Person of the Decade…. perhaps at the cost of China’s many citizens.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 29th, 2017.
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