Politics
China’s Xi shows he’s ‘totally in charge’
- China seizing on anti-Trump sentiment in foreign affairs blitz.
- Xi projects healthy image at parade, meetings, Tibet trip.
- Parade shifts domestic narrative from economic concerns.
When Chinese leader Xi Jinping organised his first parade to mark the anniversary of the end of World War Two, in 2015, he placed his two predecessors by his side in a show of respect and continuity of leadership.
Ten years on and having eliminated domestic opposition as he serves an unprecedented third term as president, Xi was flanked on Wednesday at the 80th anniversary parade by Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
Chinese Communist Party leaders were interspersed among overseas guests.
The parade followed Xi’s high-profile summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a weekend meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin, and the Chinese leader’s rare visit to Tibet last month.
This display of diplomatic clout, stamina and geopolitical ambition has helped quell concerns among some China observers about the 72-year-old president’s vitality, linked to sporadic absences and — so far unknown — succession plans. It has also helped divert domestic attention from slowing growth, experts say.
Longevity was on the leaders’ minds as they walked up to the rostrum at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square — Xi and Putin were caught in a hot mic moment discussing organ transplants and the possibility that humans could live to 150 years old.
“This week of triumphant diplomacy for Xi shows that he remains totally in charge of the elite politics of the Communist Party,” said Neil Thomas of the Asia Society, a New York-based think tank. Unable to get the same legitimacy from economic growth as his predecessors, Xi has turned toward nationalism “to try and make up for it”, Thomas said.
“It’s a way to divert attention from economic challenges and to make his citizens proud to be Chinese, even if it’s harder to feel that from the day-to-day experiences of unemployment, falling house prices and stagnant wages.”
Xi underscored his elder statesman image with fashion choices: a grey suit in the style of those worn by Mao Zedong, matching his greying hair, in contrast to the black suits of his counterparts and his own black attire from a decade earlier.
His number two, Premier Li Qiang, whose role has diminished at home, was charged with relatively minor meetings with leaders of Malaysia and Uzbekistan. High-profile engagements with Kim, Modi, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and several others fell to Cai Qi, who heads the party’s Central Secretariat, responsible for its sprawling administration.
In response to a Reuters request for comment, China’s foreign ministry referred to news conference transcripts related to the recent diplomatic events, showcasing China’s partnerships with developing nations and positioning Beijing as committed to peaceful development and international cooperation.
Many countries that sent their leaders to China in the past week have been hit by US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs this year, including India, which remains a significant buyer of Russian oil, hit by sanctions over Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
In one of the most memorable moments in the flurry of diplomatic encounters, Modi and Putin walked over for a chat with Xi while holding hands, underscoring personal tensions between Trump and Modi, as well as Washington’s failure to draw historically non-aligned India in to counter Russia and China.
“Ultimately, one of the biggest driving factors of the SCO show of solidarity has been US policy,” said Even Pay, a director at strategic advisory firm Trivium China.
Trump, who called the military parade “beautiful” and “very, very impressive”, made a barbed post on social media saying China was working with Putin and Kim to “conspire against The United States of America”.
The Kremlin responded that they were not conspiring and suggested Trump’s remarks were ironic.
Hit by Trump, welcomed by Xi
Analysts say Xi’s whirlwind of activity underscores China’s ambition in presenting itself as a reliable partner to developing nations on the global stage, offering advantages like investment opportunities and even a new development bank — a major step forward for the SCO, which has expanded markedly over past decades to also include Pakistan, India and Iran.
“China’s message as a more reliable, stable alternative to the United States is resonating with large swathes of the world, particularly across Asia, which sees the United States as an increasingly belligerent force in world affairs,” said Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of the China-Global South Project, a research agency.
“A lot of developing countries and middle-power states may still be a bit ambivalent about what China’s proposing with its new governance and development initiatives, but at least what China is talking about is forward-looking, which is crucial for economies with large populations of young people looking for better employment opportunities,” Olander said.
Xi faces considerable challenges in managing this large and often fractious coalition as he eyes a potential fourth term of office in 2027 to further cement his legacy as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao.
Entrenched Chinese foreign policy positions, including territorial disputes and industrial subsidies that have flooded foreign markets with cheap exports, will likely remain friction points, experts say, while India’s deep distrust of China will not dissipate because of one brief meeting.
“It’s not necessarily a big-picture shift towards a more China-led international order,” said the Asia Society’s Thomas.
Crude oil prices have soared past $100 a barrel amid a large-scale and unprovoked US-Israeli war on Iran.
The international benchmark of Brent crude jumped more than 20 percent on Sunday, and at one point hit $115 as concerns increased over prolonged disruptions to global energy supplies.
The benchmark was being traded at around $107.50 as of 0230 GMT on Monday following a slight moderation. The uptick marked the first time oil prices climbed over $100 per barrel since the onset of Russia’s operations in Ukraine in 2022.
US President Donald Trump, who campaigned heavily on cost-of-living concerns in the 2024 vote, sought to downplay the rise in prices.
“Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for the USA, and World, Safety and Peace,” Trump asserted in a post on Truth Social.
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright also tried to brush off the prospect of soaring energy prices earlier on Sunday.
He told CBS News’ Face the Nation program that any increase in prices at the petrol pump would be “temporary.”Crude oil prices have spiked by about 50 percent since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28.
Iran, in retaliation, has effectively brought shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to halt.
Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait — three of the major producers in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) — have slashed production amid an accumulating backlog of barrels with no destination to go due to the effective closure of the strategic waterway.
Meanwhile, stocks in Asia tumbled drastically on Monday morning, as investors prepared for the fallout of soaring energy prices.
Japan’s 225 index fell more than 7 percent in early trading, while South Korea’s KOSPI plunged more than 8 percent.The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong also fell by nearly 3 percent.
US stocks futures, which are regularly traded outside of usual market hours, also experienced significant losses.
Futures tied to Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 fell by 1.7 percent, while those for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped by 1.90 percent.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted that energy sustained 10 percent rise in oil prices brings about a 0.5 rise in inflation and a 0.15 percent reduction in global economic growth.
Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei has been elected the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iran’s Assembly of Experts, a body of 88 clerics, on Sunday night officially appointed Mojtaba Khamenei, 56 years old, as the new Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Mojtaba Khamenei is the son of martyred Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
“By a decisive vote, the Assembly of Experts appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the third Leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the assembly said in a statement.
The announcement, issued by the Secretariat of the Assembly of Experts, begins with invocations in the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and extends heartfelt condolences to the noble and free nation of Islamic Iran.
It honors the martyrdom of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, whose heavenly ascension marks the end of an era of wise and steadfast leadership. Ayatollah Khamenei was martyred on February 28 in a terrorist US and Israeli strike.
The statement also pays tribute to other exalted martyrs, including high-ranking commanders of the armed forces and the innocent students of the Shajra Tayyiba School in Minab City, all victims of the barbaric assaults by criminal America and the Zionist regime.
The statement reveres the exalted institution of Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) during the occultation of the Imam of the Age (may Allah hasten his reappearance), emphasizing its pivotal role in the Islamic Republic’s system.
It celebrates the 47 years of exemplary governance by the Imams of the Revolution, rooted in dignity, independence, and divine authority.
Following meticulous studies and a decisive vote by the respected representatives, guided by religious duty and accountability before God Almighty, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei (may Allah protect him) was introduced as the new Leader.
The statement expresses gratitude to the members of the provisional council under Article 111 for their interim service and calls upon the entire noble nation of Iran –especially the elites, intellectuals, scholars of the seminaries, and university communities — to pledge unwavering allegiance to the new leadership.
It urges unity around the axis of Wilayat al-Faqih, a bulwark against the plots of arrogant powers.
In closing, the Assembly of Experts statement invokes Almighty God’s continued grace and mercy upon Iran and its resilient people, affirming that the Islamic Revolution remains an indomitable force for justice and independence.
Qatari authorities have arrested more than 300 people for sharing images and what they described as “misleading information” during days of attacks by Iran, the interior ministry said on Monday.
The arrests echo measures across the Gulf as Iran targets airports, military bases, energy installations and residential areas with daily drones and missiles.
Those arrested “filmed and circulated video clips and published misleading information and rumours that could stir public opinion”, a statement said.
The people of “various nationalities” were held by the Department for Combating Economic and Cyber Crimes at the ministry´s General Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
The announcement follows a spate of arrests elsewhere in the region.
In Bahrain, four people were arrested for “filming and broadcasting clips about the effects of Iranian attacks and spreading false news”, the interior ministry said on Friday.
And in Kuwait, authorities on Saturday said three people had been arrested over a video showing them mocking the situation in the country.
Residents in the United Arab Emirates have received text messages warning of possible legal action for sharing sensitive images or “reposting unreliable information”.
The UAE attorney general’s office also warned against “filming, publishing, or circulating images and videos documenting incident sites or damage caused by falling projectiles or shrapnel”, the Emirates News Agency said.
Saudi Arabia has issued similar warnings.
Despite the warnings, images of missiles, drones and the fallout of the war continue to circulate on social media and in group chats.
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