In a Chinese propaganda article, the tell of Xi Jinping's vulnerability

In an absurd but inadvertently informative article for the Global Times on Wednesday, Li Qingqing laments those U.S. politicians who are “stubbornly discussing whether China represents authoritarianism or not.” The authoritarian descriptor is unfair, says Li, because China has a unique governing model.

Before I go on, note Li isn’t writing a simple opinion piece. As the Chinese ruling elite’s primary mouthpiece for Western-focus editorializing, Global Times articles accurately reflect President Xi Jinping’s thinking in each moment. That makes this article notable. After all, it shows that the Chinese government is increasingly uncomfortable with being called out for its authoritarian political identity. And Li tells us why.