Chinese leaders are deeply worried about threats to China’s economic security. For decades, China achieved breakneck economic growth that seemed to suggest the country was on an inexorable rise toward “national rejuvenation.” In recent years,
however, China’s economic prospects have come under question, and Beijing has grown increasingly concerned about the nation’s economic security (经济安全).
Central to these concerns are threats to the complex web of supply chains (供应链) that keep the Chinese economy humming. In 2020,
the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on global supply chains, prompting China to turn its attention to shoring up its economic security.
The end of the pandemic did not abate Beijing’s worries. The onset of the War in Ukraine in 2022, coupled with worsening U.S.-China relations and slowing domestic growth, convinced Chinese policymakers that they need to better fortify their economy against mounting threats.
In one of the most important speeches of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s career—his report to the Communist Party’s 20th National Congress in 2022—he warned of “a new period of turbulence and change” in the world that threatens China’s quest for rejuvenation.
In that speech, he demanded of his party comrades that they “must enhance our sense of crisis, adhere to bottom line thinking, be prepared for danger in times of peace, and be prepared to withstand major tests of high winds and even stormy waves.”
No comments:
Post a Comment