When China was waiting for its new leader yesterday morning, CCTV, the national broadcaster, passed the time with some propaganda. For nearly an hour before the Communist party’s general secretary led his team out on stage in front of the invited global media, two men in a studio analysed “socialism with Chinese characteristics” in microscopic detail.
Then Xi Jinping made his entrance. In just a few minutes, the man who will lead the world’s most populous nation for the next 10 years laid out his agenda. In short: to make China great again, address the grievances of the people and root out corruption. Socialism was mentioned only once.
“It is the people who have created history, and it is the people who are true heroes. The people are the source of our strength,” Mr Xi said.