Mankind is the most complex phenomenon of life in the world. Judging anyone, whether he is one of the general public or one of the elite leaders, if we just use a simple dichotomy, either good or bad, either black or white, that would be too arbitrary, irrational, and one-sided, still it is against human nature and doesn’t go in line with the criterion of realistic judgment: seeking truth from facts
Xi Jinping is a complex being too. There exists an extreme inferiority in his bones and an extreme ego in his mind. Admittedly, Xi Jinping has failed miserably as a national leader in both domestic and foreign affairs, but Xi has been exceptionally successful in power struggles, which is the only notable part of Xi's political career, and this is the very source of his conceit, which is the fundamental reason why Xi has been able to sit on the dragon chair for so long time. Xi's career in power struggle can be roughly divided into two stages, the first, before he took over the throne, and the second, after he assumed the throne.
Let's start with the first stage. Xi Jinping is a typical second-generation Red, and his rise to the dragon chair is closely related to his origin. He grew up during the Cultural Revolution and witnessed all sorts of factional struggles, what’s more, he came from a family of high-ranking officials and had been imperceptibly influenced by what he constantly saw and heard about the power struggles of the officialdom since he was born, so he naturally developed a keen sense of political struggle. Among the second-generation Reds abound with candidates who are extraordinary in both practical skills and personal charisma. The fact that Xi Jinping was the only one to win proves that Xi is really good at power games. Xi's greatest ability is to play dumb or pretend to be stupid, and he has successfully fooled Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao with this trick. Xi is also lucky to be the ultimate beneficiary of the power game within the Chinese Communist Party. He was able to win, thanks in large part to Jiang Zemin's selfishness. Jiang followed Deng Xiaoping's example and engaged in a modern version of attending state affairs behind the bamboo curtain. When Jiang left office, he did not transfer all the power to Hu Jintao at once, but only handed over the power in the Party, while holding the military power until he installed his cronies in the Politburo Standing Committee before giving the chairmanship of the Military Commission to Hu Jintao. A nursery rhyme at that time vividly reflects this historical fact: the Chinese people ran for prosperity, the Three Representatives were put into the Party constitution, Jintao became the leader of the Party central committee, and Comrade Zemin did not hand over the gun!
Just as Deng Xiaoping designated Hu Jintao as Jiang Zemin's successor, Jiang Zemin has designated Xi Jinping as Hu Jintao's successor. Jiang Zemin is playing the same trick again, expecting to use Xi Jinping as a plaything, just like he controlled Hu Jintao. Because Xi seems to be a simple and dumb person with little calculation, Jiang thinks such a person is easy to control, and he can continue to hold power as he did before. This makes everyone today admire Xi Jinping's profound acting skills, which even Zeng Qinghong, the most cunning and scheming person in the Party failed to see through. This is an extraordinary performance beyond any movie star. To play so well at that time, Xi Jinping was the only one in the Chinese political arena.
Xi is not only good at pretending, but also well at enduring, and his patience is unmatched in the political arena at the time. Before he sat on the dragon chair, he kept a low profile and seldom showed off himself in front of the public. Xi Jinping entered the center of power and became the crown prince at the 17th Communist Party Congress in 2007, however, Xi Jinping is not complacent, he knows that the power struggle in the Chinese Communist Party is full of variables, and he cannot say he has succeeded in seizing power until he sits on the dragon chair. He continues to play dumb but is also waiting for the right time to kill his biggest political rival, Bo Xilai, who threatens him to get the throne. The reason is that Bo Xilai is also a second-generation Red and his seniority is not under Xi, what’s more, Bo's political talent and personal charisma are far above Xi Jinping. The "Singing Red Songs and Striking black society” campaign by Bo in Chongqing is very effective and popular, which makes Xi feel pressured and uneasy. In early 2012, Bo's crony Wang Lijun fled to the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu to seek political asylum, which became a worldwide sensation. This was the world's most dramatic event of Wang Lijun. Xi Jinping, who had been hiding for five years, took the opportunity to join Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao to bring down Bo Xilai in one fell swoop, eliminating a major problem, and leaving no chance for his opponent to fight back. In this event, Xi Jinping showed his wolf-like patience and crocodile-like fierceness. The precision of the timing, the swiftness of the strike, and the decisiveness of the killing are all breathtaking. Once Xi Jinping sat on the throne safe and sound and began to purge Jiang Zemin and Zeng Qinghong's old cronies, the two began to regret backing on the wrong horse, I'm afraid they also admire Xi Jinping's patience in their minds, but unfortunately, it was too late!
And then comes the second stage. Xi Jinping's experience of power struggles after taking over the reins is less impressive than before, but there are some highlights too. To consolidate his power, Xi launched a vigorous anti-corruption campaign, purging corruption with an iron fist. Xi has successfully replicated the ancient imperial technique in his anti-corruption campaign: use corrupt officials to fight corruption. That is, he used the corrupt officials who were willing to listen to him to purge his political enemies in the name of corruption. Xi's anti-corruption campaign has not only cleared the dissidents but also won public applause, adding a lot of scores to his performance. Then, Xi Jinping played both sides of the fence, saying on the one hand that he wanted to put power in the cage of the system, while on the other hand, he promoted his own cronies to the most important positions, look at the dynasty today, it is all Xi's men! However, the most surprising power move of Xi Jinping is to amend the constitution swiftly to pave the way for a lifetime rule. This operation can be described as a surprise attack, catching people off guard, and is a masterstroke indeed.
Xi Jinping's philosophy of governance is chaotic and confusing, but Xi's philosophy of power struggle is exceptionally clear because power is what Xi cares most about. The theoretical crystallization of Xi's power struggle is the four consciousnesses, namely, the political consciousness, the big-picture consciousness, the core consciousness, and the alignment consciousness. Although it is not a political innovation, it can at least be used as a banner for a power struggle. Xi Jinping's theory of power struggle has also reaped practical fruits: Xi becomes the core of power, and all is decided by Xi alone!
As the fifth-generation leader of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping's inability to rule the country and his skill in disturbing the people have made him inferior. However, Xi's mastery of power and his ability to fight internally have made him conceited, thus he has finally found some psychological balance. However, the Bible says: "He who uses the sword dies by the sword. In the same way, it is clear that: those who use strategy lose in strategy, and those who use power are destroyed by power. This will come true sooner or later because Xi Jinping's motive is for his own selfish desires rather than for the welfare of the Chinese people, no matter whether he uses strategy or power.
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