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India Today
36 minutes ago
- India Today
Why the West keeps getting Xi Jinping wrong
Each time Xi Jinping vanishes from public view—even briefly—the usual chorus springs to life. Think tanks buzz with theories. Twitter (or X) lights up with speculative threads. Television panels convene in haste. Western newspapers quote 'anonymous insiders.' Asian outlets pick up the trail. And once again, headlines proclaim instability at the apex of China's power there's a recurring problem: they're almost always Xi Jinping disappears from view multiple times each year. And each time, it's as if the West has returned to 1989. Out come the Tiananmen metaphors. Op-eds forecast regime collapse. Analysts warn of elite discontent. Then Xi resurfaces—shaking hands, touring factories, delivering speeches. No wheelchair. No oxygen mask. No rumours fade. The speculation dies down. But the cycle? It resets—like clockwork.A Pattern, Not a FlukeWhat we're witnessing isn't just clickbait or lazy journalism. It's something far more deliberate: narrative warfare. A disinformation strategy dressed as analysis. A psychological operation updated for the social media age—designed to sow doubt about China's leadership and to weaken confidence in its political isn't a conspiracy theory. It's a strategy—acknowledged, at times, by former intelligence officials themselves. Psychological operations don't always come with tanks and soldiers. Sometimes, all it takes is a whisper. A provocative headline. A satellite image of dubious origin. A 'leak' from a think the Western press? It plays Study: September 2022Xi skipped a scheduled meeting for less than a week. Western headlines screamed: 'Coup in Beijing?' 'Has the PLA arrested Xi?' Anonymous Indian intelligence sources were quoted. Twitter flooded with satellite images—many from old military drills. Talk of an 'internal rebellion' social media accounts—later traced to IP addresses in Virginia, Taiwan, and London—amplified the frenzy. Then Xi reappeared at a military expo. Calm. Unmoved. The headlines vanished. But the psychological seed had been in 2023 and 2024In August 2023, Xi missed a BRICS planning session. British tabloids declared 'Chaos in Zhongnanhai.' American commentators floated theories about his fallout from the Rocket Force purge. Thai outlets translated it. Japanese pundits debated it. South Korean YouTubers built mini-documentaries around of it turned out to be fiction. Xi met Russian diplomats days later—healthy and present. The story was quietly dropped. No correction. No again in March 2024, just before the National People's Congress, Xi didn't attend a ceremonial event. The Washington Post ran with speculative unrest in the provinces. 'Elite discontent' was once again anonymously most recently, June 2025: ten days of silence. The rumour mill spun furiously—heart problems, power struggles, foreign meddling. But Xi returned—shaking hands with India's External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar in Beijing, all smiles for the cameras. No explanation CIA, MI6 and the Game of PerceptionWhy does this pattern repeat?Because it intelligence agencies understand that if they cannot physically destabilise China, they can attempt to fracture it psychologically—at least in perception. Global investors, Asian neighbours, and Chinese elites are all watching. Uncertainty is the weapon. Rumours are the delivery don't need to prove Xi is weak. They just need the world to wonder if he why these stories often begin in Langley, Vauxhall Cross, or within Western-funded think tanks. The narrative is seeded, echoed, and amplified. 'Sources say...' 'Satellite imagery suggests...' 'Anonymous officials believe...' Always speculative. Rarely verified. Yet persistently Becomes a WeaponChina's opaque political system lends itself to this tactic. The CCP's culture of secrecy allows room for speculation. Without transparency, Western media fills the void with opacity is not the same as Xi rules an authoritarian regime. Yes, the system crushes dissent and censors critics. But that doesn't mean it's on the verge of implosion every time he takes a break from public this with Western leaders. When a US president disappears? It's 'rest at Camp David.' When a UK Prime Minister goes quiet? 'Family holiday.' When Macron skips a summit? 'Scheduling conflict.'But when Xi disappears? It's a coup. Xi is not merely a man. He is the embodiment of the Chinese state. To suggest he's vulnerable is to imply the whole system Role of Think TanksMany of the organisations driving these narratives are not disinterested academics. They receive funding from defence contractors, government departments, or intelligence-linked sources. Their 'hypotheses' often become tomorrow's not evidence—it's projection. Geopolitics disguised as it works. Markets jitter. Investors hedge. Diplomats scramble. Policymakers rehearse 'China collapse' scenarios. A lie repeated often enough becomes a risk to be media outlets, especially in India, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, often retransmit these Western narratives. Sometimes out of alignment with geopolitical interests. Other times out of journalistic habit.A Manufactured RealityThis is the outcome: the West gets to script China's decline—no evidence needed. Xi keeps ruling. The CCP keeps functioning. And no journalist, editor, or analyst is ever held to account for being wrong. But they might just get a promotion for 'breaking' the next false is how information warfare Real IllusionYes, Xi Jinping governs with fear. Yes, China's political system is rigid and secretive. But the biggest illusion isn't Xi's the West's addiction to misinterpreting when policy is based on fantasy, it leads to strategic miscalculations. Trade collapses. Alliances erode. War becomes more likely—not because of facts, but because of Jinping is not invincible. But he isn't vanishing in defeat every few months either. And when he reappears after a stretch of silence, it's not a resurrection. It's a reminder: he never left.- Ends
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
China to hold SCO summit in Tianjin from Aug 31 to Sept 1: Wang Yi
Leaders from more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organisations will attend the Tianjin Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and related events next month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday. The SCO Tianjin Summit will be held from August 31-September 1, Wang said during a joint press meeting with SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev here, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders of the SCO member states were expected to attend the summit. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Brought to you by Undo Earlier in the day, the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the 10-member grouping was held here with a focus on making political preparations for the summit, official media reported. At Tuesday's meeting, participants exchanged views on cooperation across various SCO sectors and discussed key international and regional issues, state-run CGTN reported. Live Events A series of resolutions and official documents were signed, it said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi were among those who attended the meeting, which was presided by Foreign Minister Wang. The SCO, comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus, is an influential economic and security bloc that has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations. Ahead of the meeting, the SCO Foreign Ministers met Chinese President Xi Jinping , who called for improving mechanisms to address security threats and challenges. With the SCO Summit set to take place this year in China's Tianjin, Xi expressed hope to meet the leaders of other member states at the event to discuss the future development of the organisation. He stressed that in the face of a turbulent and changing international landscape, the SCO must stay focused, remain confident, act efficiently and play a more proactive role in injecting greater stability and positive energy into the world. In a veiled dig at the US, President Xi called for joint efforts to firmly oppose hegemony, power politics, and bullying in order to promote a more equal and balanced multipolar world. Speaking on behalf of the SCO ministers at their meeting with Xi, Lavrov said that through its steadfast commitment to the Shanghai Spirit, the SCO has achieved notable cooperation outcomes and gained increasing international appeal. The practice has proven that the Shanghai Spirit, which is characterised by mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations, and pursuit of common development, aligns with member states' shared interests and demonstrates robust vitality, he added.
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Dixon Technologies' China playbook faces crucial Centre's FDI test
Company signs new pacts with Chinese firms Qtech, Chongqing Yuhai Surajeet Das Gupta New Delhi Listen to This Article Dixon Technologies (India) on Tuesday signed two agreements — a joint venture (JV) and an acquisition, both with Chinese companies — in what could be a test case for the government on how to handle such proposals under foreign direct investment (FDI) rules for Chinese firms following the implementation of Press Note 5. With these two deals, Dixon now has five such tieups with Chinese companies — in each of which it holds a 51 per cent or higher stake — and they can proceed only if the government grants FDI approval. The company has signed a binding term sheet
