Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Twice in the past half-year, China has pulled itself back from the brink of disaster, offering up a lesson for any country where extreme official rhetoric can get out of control. Last December, Chinese leader Xi Jinping abruptly reversed his ‘zero-COVID’ policy – which relied on metaphors of war – after mass protests against its draconian effects on society threatened his rule. China has since fared well with a fading pandemic. Then in recent months, Mr. Xi made an even more important about-face. Official media now allow commentary arguing against the regime’s own statements about taking Taiwan by military force, even allowing some articles to call the notion of war ‘stupid.’ Last year, Mr. Xi himself instructed his military to be prepared for an invasion by 2027. Chinese warplanes often flew into Taiwanese airspace. Yet the rhetoric of a war may have become too close to a self-fulfilling prophecy.” (05/11/23)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2023/0511/China-s-lesson-in-correcting-itself