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Chinese President Xi Jinping has been the subject of increasing amounts of praise and adulation in the country in recent years. There are growing concerns about the extent to which this praise is being "forced and manufactured" as the cult of personality around Xi Jinping continues to rise, The Singapore Post reported.
The message from state media to local officials is 'Xi is a transformative leader who is steering China towards a brighter future.' It is pertinent to analyse how Xi Jinping is using his power to "tighten his grip on the Chinese Communist Party and promote a cult of personality that rivals those of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping," as per The Singapore Post report. In 2023, party secretaries in Fujian, Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, Anhui, and Yunnan have praised Xi Jinping in the state media outlet People's Daily, as per the news report. The competition to showcase loyalty to Xi Jinping by blindly lauding his accomplishments and ideology is almost disappointing. The Fujian Party Secretary Zhou Zuyi's published work is a "blatant display of sycophancy and propaganda" for Xi Jinping. He gives titles like "People's leader" to Xi Jinping and repeatedly invokes the Chinese Communist Party's political slogans of "Two Establishments" and "Two Safeguards" to tighten Xi's grip on power, as per the news report. His work indicates that Zhou's primary aim is to legitimize the work of Xi Jinping, showcasing him as the CCP's core and Central Committee's heart. Zhou Zuyi is using this opportunity to advance his own political agenda by pushing for cross-integration, making "Fujian a hub for Taiwan and promoting a false image of spiritual harmony." Meanwhile, Sichuan Party Secretary, Wang Xiaohui's writing echoed the same political narrative, which includes upholding the 'Two Establishments' and exploiting Deng Xiaoping's 'Four Modernizations' in an attempt to push their own province's development. Sun Shaocheng, the Inner Mongolia Party Secretary, showcases his loyalty to Xi Jinping in his article by following Xi Jinping's instructions on ethnic affairs, including the issue of unrestrained growth and the wasteful utilization of resources, as per the The Singapore Post report. The Anhui Party Secretary, Zheng Shanjie, in his publication, also echoed the same message 'Two Establishments' and pushed for the promotion of 'Chinese-style modernization,' as per the news report. People's Daily, a state-run media outlet, is using its platform to advance the political agenda of Xi Jinping and CCP. The publication aims to strengthen Xi Jinping's authority and present his rule as legitimate and unquestioned, as per the news report. It published eight interviews in January and all the interviewees unanimously underscored the guidance of Xi Jinping's thoughts on socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the high-quality economic development of their respective provinces. People's Daily wants to showcase a picture of widespread support for the CCP and Xi Jinping, according to The Singapore Post. However, it's important to recognize that these interviews are "carefully crafted propaganda, meant to manipulate public opinion and obscure any dissent or opposition to Xi's rule." Such publications are trying to gain the support of Xi Jinping and attempting to hide the "true nature of his rule, which is characterized by authoritarianism and a disregard for human rights." (ANI)
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