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Exactly. Check this article out: "Xi Jinping May Be Less Powerful Than He Seems" ( https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/04/xi-jinping-china-t

Exactly. Check this article out: "Xi Jinping May Be Less Powerful Than He Seems" ( https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/04/xi-jinping-china-trump-ccp-pla/522057/ https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/04/xi... ) The fact of the matter is that the outside world knows very little about the inner workings at the top of the Communist Party in China.

Iv 9y ago
As a foreigner this feels a bit like a US' reaction about their loss of leadership. There has to be something wrong about China's rise. Imagining that it will surpass their own economic power through good management by a central government is something they just refuse to accept. It has to be some authoritarian cheat mode.
- richsinn 9y ago
  I don't think the Atlantic piece is suggesting that at all. The article is making the point that the delicate power balances behind the Chinese Communist Party is very complex, and that the soundbites we hear from our Western media (or any media for that matter) probably do not capture the full extent of the power dynamics, wheeling and dealing, and inner workings of the Chinese Communist Party.
  - Iv 9y ago
    Last time I checked, the power balances are not necessarily complex, they are opaque. They could rely on tea leaves readings for all we know. Most of the "analysis" you read are pure speculations based more on wishful thinking and prejudice than on facts.
    - pertymcpert 9y ago
      Wishful thinking? Most of the news seem to be very pessimistic about the future.
    - Feniks 9y ago
      Reminds me of how every "expert" said Trump wouldn't win. It was amusing how everyone was surprised to find out there's a whole landmass between NY and California. Fly over country for sure but eligible to vote.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
- forapurpose 9y ago
  Hmmm ... that's pretty speculative, or really completely speculative. This movie has been made before. The USSR claimed something similar. Now of course, China's aggregate economy could match the U.S.'s when its citizens are only 25% as wealthy, but that is not a sign of great economic performance. > good management by a central government I think you mean by an undemocratic authoritarian government (I don't think centrality is the issue). Regardless, I don't see good management, mostly effective suppression and international propaganda. If management is so great, why do they need to censor and propagandize their own citizens on a massive scale, not to mention outlawing dissent and imprisoning dissenters? Who needs the 'Great Firewll', in that case. I don't think people in Tibet, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Xinjian would say China is so well managed, as obvious examples.
  - alphaalpha101 9y ago
    >China's aggregate economy could match the U.S.'s when its citizens are only 25% as wealthy GDP per capita is a terrible measure of citizen wealth. A country could have a much lower GDP per capita than the US and still have a MUCH more wealthier median citizen.
  - 68c12c16 9y ago
    Why has this post been downvoted so many times? Would someone who downvoted this post care to put down any word on which of those statements that you don't agree? Sometimes the downvoting and its related visibility mechanism here really puzzles me...I really feel that perhaps we should give more weights, in terms of visibility, to those downvotes that come with even a little bit of explanation, or otherwise we are not much different from a group of mobs in the Spartan assembly (i.e. "Apella") who would consider themselves democratic and then vote by shouting loudly... ===== PS: I am not the original poster (so in case anyone feels like to cast his downvote for the sole reason of complaining about downvoting, just go ahead and downvote mine and leave alone the OP's)...but I really don't understand (and feel a bit curious about it...) why it attracted some many downvotes, without any explicit criticism... the reduced points really do not matter, but the reduced visibility might turn some inexperienced readers away and thus further decrease the probability of having them join in the discussion and share their perspective...
- thaumasiotes 9y ago
  Good management is hardly necessary. China has ~5 times the population of the US; it would be shocking (is shocking, sadly...) for it to be economically weaker.
  - umanwizard 9y ago
    India has almost the same population as China and is much poorer.
- eternalban 9y ago
  In general, 'something nefarious is going on overseas', beyond the Anglo cultural domain. Interesting thing to me is, as you point out, how the "mechanics of power" are held to be a byzantine mystery in Communist Party of China, but it is over here just a matter of a 'pick the least ugly' beauty contest over here in US of A. Of course, what is truly opaque is just which groupings in the West hold the true power and just what is the nature of the "mechanics of power" here in the West.
  - dTal 9y ago
    If there were not something nefarious going on overseas, I would want to know their amazing secret.

Iv 9y ago

As a foreigner this feels a bit like a US' reaction about their loss of leadership. There has to be something wrong about China's rise. Imagining that it will surpass their own economic power through good management by a central government is something they just refuse to accept. It has to be some authoritarian cheat mode.

richsinn 9y ago
I don't think the Atlantic piece is suggesting that at all. The article is making the point that the delicate power balances behind the Chinese Communist Party is very complex, and that the soundbites we hear from our Western media (or any media for that matter) probably do not capture the full extent of the power dynamics, wheeling and dealing, and inner workings of the Chinese Communist Party.
- Iv 9y ago
  Last time I checked, the power balances are not necessarily complex, they are opaque. They could rely on tea leaves readings for all we know. Most of the "analysis" you read are pure speculations based more on wishful thinking and prejudice than on facts.
  - pertymcpert 9y ago
    Wishful thinking? Most of the news seem to be very pessimistic about the future.
  - Feniks 9y ago
    Reminds me of how every "expert" said Trump wouldn't win. It was amusing how everyone was surprised to find out there's a whole landmass between NY and California. Fly over country for sure but eligible to vote.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
forapurpose 9y ago
Hmmm ... that's pretty speculative, or really completely speculative. This movie has been made before. The USSR claimed something similar. Now of course, China's aggregate economy could match the U.S.'s when its citizens are only 25% as wealthy, but that is not a sign of great economic performance. > good management by a central government I think you mean by an undemocratic authoritarian government (I don't think centrality is the issue). Regardless, I don't see good management, mostly effective suppression and international propaganda. If management is so great, why do they need to censor and propagandize their own citizens on a massive scale, not to mention outlawing dissent and imprisoning dissenters? Who needs the 'Great Firewll', in that case. I don't think people in Tibet, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Xinjian would say China is so well managed, as obvious examples.
- alphaalpha101 9y ago
  >China's aggregate economy could match the U.S.'s when its citizens are only 25% as wealthy GDP per capita is a terrible measure of citizen wealth. A country could have a much lower GDP per capita than the US and still have a MUCH more wealthier median citizen.
- 68c12c16 9y ago
  Why has this post been downvoted so many times? Would someone who downvoted this post care to put down any word on which of those statements that you don't agree? Sometimes the downvoting and its related visibility mechanism here really puzzles me...I really feel that perhaps we should give more weights, in terms of visibility, to those downvotes that come with even a little bit of explanation, or otherwise we are not much different from a group of mobs in the Spartan assembly (i.e. "Apella") who would consider themselves democratic and then vote by shouting loudly... ===== PS: I am not the original poster (so in case anyone feels like to cast his downvote for the sole reason of complaining about downvoting, just go ahead and downvote mine and leave alone the OP's)...but I really don't understand (and feel a bit curious about it...) why it attracted some many downvotes, without any explicit criticism... the reduced points really do not matter, but the reduced visibility might turn some inexperienced readers away and thus further decrease the probability of having them join in the discussion and share their perspective...
thaumasiotes 9y ago
Good management is hardly necessary. China has ~5 times the population of the US; it would be shocking (is shocking, sadly...) for it to be economically weaker.
- umanwizard 9y ago
  India has almost the same population as China and is much poorer.
eternalban 9y ago
In general, 'something nefarious is going on overseas', beyond the Anglo cultural domain. Interesting thing to me is, as you point out, how the "mechanics of power" are held to be a byzantine mystery in Communist Party of China, but it is over here just a matter of a 'pick the least ugly' beauty contest over here in US of A. Of course, what is truly opaque is just which groupings in the West hold the true power and just what is the nature of the "mechanics of power" here in the West.
- dTal 9y ago
  If there were not something nefarious going on overseas, I would want to know their amazing secret.