U.S. President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands ahead of their bilateral meeting during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Christian Whiton, FOX News: China’s Xi looks increasingly dazed and confused – Could Hong Kong win this showdown?
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. When Xi Jinping effectively crowned himself emperor at the 19th Chinese Communist Party Congress in 2017, consolidating his power by ending a practice of term limits, China was supposed to be ready for its next stage of his meteoric rise.
In a triumphal speech, Xi heralded a “new era” of Chinese power and predicted the nation would become a “mighty force” under his control. But as the summer of 2019 drags on, Xi and the government he leads look increasingly weak and lost.
China’s economy is in the doldrums, put there in part by President Trump’s decision to change U.S. tactics dramatically in long-running trade disputes. Last month, the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics reported the slowest economic growth since 1992. China’s manufacturing index has indicated contraction for all but two months so far this year.
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WNU Editor: Hong Kong will not win in its showdown with China, and Chinese President Xi is not dazed and confused. But his vow to make China a "mighty force" in international affairs is not going to happen any time soon. I think he now knows that, and I suspect that he is personally upset to be in the situation where he is in today .... a crisis in Hong Kong, and a trade war with President Trump. There are no good options for him, and any decision will come with a price.
