Opinion | Xi Jinping is serious about securing tech, talent and a modern military for China in the next five years

The first week of Xi Jinping’s third term speaks volumes about his vision for China’s next five years. The new standing committee visited Yanan city, the Communist Party’s revolutionary cradle. There, Xi proclaimed that “China’s socialism is won by hard work, struggles and even sacrifice of lives. This was not only true in the past but also true in the new era”.

The squad visited the Hongqi Canal, also known as the Red Flag Canal, where Xi paid tribute to the heroic spirit of those “who dare to fight to change their fate”. Xi’s visit suggested a brutal struggle was ahead, against both domestic dissent and foreign rivals.

Authoritarian leaders, from Vladimir Putin to Xi, deserve one credit. Their words become their deeds. In the next five years, China will evolve to validate Xi’s Chinese dream. He wishes to build an egalitarian society, empower the state to control the economy, command absolute power and offer an alternative model of modernisation.

President Joe Biden’s blanket ban on China’s access to advanced chips made with US technology, software and equipment is intended to choke off China’s tech rise. Biden’s chip war is no less significant than former president Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars”.

In response to Biden’s effective declaration of an economic war, Xi has resorted not to “wolf warriors” but to action.