China has probably withstood the chaos of 2020 better than any other major power. In the coming months, it appears that its leader, Xi Jinping, is ready to take advantage of him, by embarking on the new Biden government and projecting a self-assured Communist Party into its centenary year.
Mr. Xi and his lieutenants have shown a lively tone over the past few weeks, trumpeting their basic success last year in fighting the coronavirus and eradicating rural poverty. They have portrayed China as a responsible force and provide steady leadership amid a global economic downturn and growing geopolitical tensions that they blame for US warfare. Signs of a healthy recovery in the second largest economy in the world, Mr. Xi gave a stronger hand in dealing with countries still struggling with the pandemic and its economic consequences.
While President-elect Joe Biden has shown plans to put together multilateral efforts to scrutinize China on issues ranging from trade to human rights, Mr. Xi tries to compensate for the American pressure with his own diplomatic victory. Since Mr. Biden’s election victory in November, China anchored a new trade alliance in Asia and the Pacific of 15 countries and signed an investment agreement with the European Union, which is the upcoming Biden government’s concern.
However, China faces major challenges at home and abroad. Many countries are wary of the superpower’s aggressive foreign policy. Its investment agreement with Europe has yet to be ratified. And it must overcome the long-running economic downturn of the pandemic and the greater doubt about the effectiveness of Chinese vaccines that officials had hoped could win global hearts and minds.
Beijing showed no sign of deteriorating. As a reflection of his confidence, Mr. Xi’s administration claimed control of his country’s periphery and this month began mass arrests of opposition figures in Hong Kong, while flying a high-frequency warplane near the island democracy of Taiwan, which Beijing claims is its territory.