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On Oct. 1, a parade Of tanks, trOOps and nuclear missiles
rolled through Beijing to mark 70 years since the founding of the
People’s Republic. Standing before the Forbidden City, abode of em-
perors, China’s Xi Jinping vowed, “No force can stop the Chinese
people and the Chinese nation forging ahead.”
Quite a few have tried this year. Nearly 2 million took to the streets
to demand democratic reform in semiautonomous Hong Kong, where
anti-Beijing candidates won a landslide in district elections. The
trade war with the U.S. squeezed China’s growth to a three- decade
low. The detention of over a million Muslims in the province of Xin-
jiang prompted condemnation by the U.N.
None have dented Xi’s resolve. Through propaganda and cen-
sorship, the Communist Party he leads has helped Xi turn external
pressure into internal strength. His “China Dream” of returning his
nation to “center stage” is battered but undiminished.
Still, there’s no denying that the tenor of China’s foreign relations
changed in 2019. This was the year Xi went from strongman to bogey-
man. In March, the E.U. branded China a “systemic rival.” In July,
FBI Director Christopher Wray called the threat to society posed by
China “diverse and wide and vexing.” Washington has demonized
Chinese telecom firm Huawei and passed legislation in support of
Hong Kong’s protesters. A bill still under consideration would sanc-
tion Chinese officials for “barbaric” human-rights abuses in Xin jiang,
where 1 million Muslims have been detained.
And yet, Muslim leaders from Pakistan’s Imran Khan to Saudi
Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman court Chinese invest-
ment. In November, Xi sipped wine with French President Emman-
uel Macron in Shanghai before signing $15 billion worth of bilateral
deals. And Taylor Swift opened Alibaba’s extravaganza for Singles
Day, where $38 billion was spent.
The missiles and tanks were real enough. But Xi’s power, and
fate, remains with what stands behind him: the capitalist might of
communist China.
Six leaders who shaped the world in 2019
PORTRAITS OF
INFLUENCE
XI JINPING
President of China
BY CHARLIE CAMPBELL
ILLUSTR ATION BY NIGEL BUCHANAN FOR TIME
