TONY LEON: What will kick off SA’s Arab spring?
The Chinese president has pointed to corruption, factionalism and loss of touch with citizens as causes of unrest
In 2011 Xi Jinping was simply vice-president of China, before ascending to the top post as party general secretary (or supreme leader), to which he is set to be affirmed for a third term by his Communist Party at its 20th national congress. Back then he hosted a visit to his country by Joe Biden, also vice-president of the US at the time.
Reading the tea leaves in opaque China depends, to an extent, on glimpses and slips provided during such visits. Earlier in October The Economist provided a fly-on-the-wall account of one such meeting on that tour. Daniel Russell, then US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, recounts that the Chinese leader spoke “at considerable length” on the upheavals in 2011 that toppled dictatorial regimes in the Middle East during the so-called “Arab Spring”...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.