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Why Trump both admired and envied Xi Jinping - Chairman for Life - that's why.

"New data show the failures of Donald Trump’s China trade strategy
"Donald Trump’s Last Chinese Scorecard: A Story of Many Defeats and One Big Change
"How Trump Lost His Trade War
"Is China Already Failing To Meet Phase One Trade Agreements?""""

Posted Tue 2 Mar 2021, 4:02pm
Updated Mon 8 Mar 2021, 7:04pm

[Related: Why a Trump Presidency Could Be a Boon for China
[...]
Noted China skeptic Gordon Chang wrote: “The issue for America is not, as some think, TPP versus no TPP. The issue is whether the Asia-Pacific region follows Washington’s vision of trade or Beijing’s.” While Chang has been ridiculed .. http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/924008.shtml .. in the Chinese press, on this point he is correct. If the Trump administration does impose punitive tariffs on China and withdraws from the TPP, the path will be cleared for China to become a leader of trade liberalization in the Asia-Pacific region.]
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=127320565

Of course we know now the Trump administration did. And China moved in.

Full video 45 min.

Chairman for Life: China’s President Xi Jinping and his quest for world power

“I call him Chairman of everything, Chairman of everywhere, Chairman of everyone.” China scholar

China’s President Xi Jinping is a force to be reckoned with. As leader of the Communist colossus, he commands the world’s attention but who is China’s strongman? How did he rise to power and what is his agenda?

“No force can shake the status of our great motherland, and no force can stop the progress of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation.” President Xi Jinping

On Monday Four Corners delivers an insightful portrait of the Chinese president. Born into the privileged life of a princeling, banished to poverty in the countryside during a political purge, his early life formed and framed his views on power and control.

“When he initially went out into the countryside he was scared, frightened…it both hardened him, it gave him a taste of the ups and downs of power. I think it’s one of the reasons he’s so ruthless himself.” Academic

His rise up the political ladder was propelled by party connections and an advantageous celebrity marriage. As he rose through the party ranks he carefully crafted his image. Today it’s a full-blown cult of personality featuring compulsory lessons in “Xi Jinping Thought” and a TV gameshow based on his personal history.

“The moment he came into power it was pedal to the metal. He accelerated on all fronts to eliminate dissent, to eliminate rivals, to eliminate corruption.” Academic

The program shows how Xi consolidated his grip on the leadership of the Communist Party through a combination of economic strength, populism, iron fist control, jailing of opponents and crushing dissent.

“We are seeing a turning more towards authoritarianism under Xi Jinping…there's increased concerns about human rights in China, as well in Hong Kong with regards to pro-democracy activists and legislators, and in Xinjiang with regards to what the Chinese Government has been doing to Uyghurs and other ethnic minority groups.” China academic

Central to President Xi’s leadership is his doctrine of “The China Dream”, an existential challenge to the existing world order.

“The reality is that Xi Jinping and his colleagues believe themselves as the agents of history and the history that is about making China one of the great powers.” China scholar

“It's a vision of a Chinese state that's very strong, that's internationally respected, that can throw its weight around internationally if it needs to.” Former China correspondent

China specialists warn that countries like Australia were too slow to understand the challenge posed by the rise of President Xi.

“It's only now as some of the more insightful and longstanding China analysts have started to expose what Xi Jinping was saying way back at the end of 2012 and in 2013. They were starting to say, "Oh. We were just so wrong about this man." Author

Prominent China scholars say that China has already fundamentally re-written the international rule book. The question is, how will the rest of the world respond?

“Now we are dealing with this radically different view of the world…this world we are moving into, there is no roadmap…there is no easy roadmap.” UK academic

Chairman for Life, reported by Stan Grant, goes to air on Monday 1st March at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 2nd March at 1.00pm and Wednesday 3rd March at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.

Transcript

Four Corners

1 March 2021

Chairman for life

XI JINPING (subtitles): Hello, comrades.

SOLDIERS: Hello Chairman

XI JINPING: Comrades, you are working hard!

SOLDIERS: We serve the people.

VICTOR GAO, VICE-PRESIDENT, CENTRE FOR CHINA AND GLOBALIZATION: No one in the world today, in any other country, is more powerful than President Xi Jinping.

GEREMIE BARMÉ, CHINA SCHOLAR: He’s declared himself chairman for life, I call him chairman of everything, chairman of everywhere, chairman of everyone.

STAN GRANT, REPORTER: China's President Xi Jinping sees himself as a man of destiny.

He commands a country on the cusp of becoming the biggest economy the world has ever seen and he is building an army to defend it.

XI JINPING (Subtitles): No force can shake the status of our great motherland, and no force can stop the progress of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation.

STAN GRANT: If you were to sum him up what words come to mind?

RICHARD McGREGOR, SENIOR FELLOW, LOWY INSTITUTE: Messianic, ruthless.

Continued - https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/chairman-for-life/13207940

And there are two other reasons why Trump said he admired and respected Xi Jinping.