Xi Jinping says he’s ready to endure fire and boiling water, but the internet is a worry
- Communist Party releases book of president’s speeches from the past six years
- Leader speaks of the anti-corruption campaign, consolidation of personal power in the military, and tightening control over the media and the internet
Xi has had other headaches, too, according to a recently published collection of his speeches that sheds rare light on his thinking and the development of some of his signature policies.
In October, the Central Party Literature Press, the Communist Party’s official publishing arm, released a book of Xi’s speeches from the past six years – some of which were intended only for the ears of the party’s elite, making them public for the first time.
In them, Xi, arguably China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, speaks of the anti-corruption campaign, his consolidation of personal power in the military, and tightening control over the media and the internet.
Xi rarely speaks in language beyond official jargon, but some of the speeches show his irritation with officials taking information from the internet that questioned official policy and the anti-corruption drive.