Though Chinese President Xi Jinping created history after party founder Mao Zedong getting re-elected for an unprecedented third term, the manner in which his immediate predecessor Hu Jintao was grabbed, removed and escorted captures the true essence of political spirit in Beijing, where one-upmanship of a leader is being treasured and preserved against a leadership collectively embarking on decision and policy making.
Maybe, Hu Jintao was too liberal a political head of state believing in widening of global footprints maintaining strong bonds and relationships with world powers building of a soft power not fitting the bill with Jinping widening his grip and grasp over authority and power as a means to command obedience and loyalty from his lieutenants irrespective of his political short-sightedness with an economy in tatters and a pandemic like Covid wreaking havoc across the globe primarily blamed for an aggressive foreign policy and a wolf war diplomacy to much of the chaos and chagrin of common and ordinary who long back lost hope in him but for his absolutism, populism and totalitarianism often orchestrated and exercised to influence and convince public opinions and perceptions Jinping is hard as a ruler and legislator to not his guard call from diluting the special autonomous region status of China to targeting Taiwan for its perceived proclivity to the US he has been on the side competently demonstrating a realism sending shivers down the spine of his opponents and adversaries. The international community will have to tread very cautiously and carefully in dealing with and decoding an offensive dragon not bounded by ethics of morality and rationality