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Xi Jinping

A relationship redefined

Xi Jinping at his meeting with Donald Trump on 14-15 May 2026 in Beijing referred to the Thucydides Trap, a metaphor that refers to the inherent tensions and perils when an established power is challenged by a rising power.

Little red children and Grandpa Xi

Xi returns to Mao in his efforts to build a personality cult around himself. Since coming to power, he has cultivated the image of being “a man of the people” in a bid to make his authoritarianism more palpable to the masses. The new primary school textbooks emphasise Xi’s wisdom, friendliness and care for the children.

Party & the Cult

The visual, beamed through the Associated Press, reaffirms the development, though China’s foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, has pleaded ignorance.

Tibetan tale

The elephant in the room, however, is the Dalai Lama and his reincarnation.