Xi Is Strong. The West Must Be Stronger.

In Beijing next week, Xi Jinping will almost certainly claim a third term as head of China’s ruling Communist Party, cementing his status as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. The precedent-shattering move is fraught with risks — from economic instability at home to adventurism abroad. To guard against them, the US and its partners must remain disciplined and focused on building up their own strengths.

Xi’s ascension effectively completes his rejection of the key policies and principles that have underpinned China’s modern rise. He has discarded the collective leadership model set up to prevent a repeat of Mao’s cultish, erratic rule. Domestically, Xi has reasserted the state’s dominance over the economy and tamed the private companies largely responsible for China’s years of double-digit growth. Abroad, he has pursued an aggressive and unabashedly nationalist foreign policy, ignoring former leader Deng Xiaoping’s admonition for China to hide its strength until its global rise was firmly established.