DEALING WITH THE GANGSTERS IN BEIJING

Chinese President Xi Jinping may have the crude instincts of a third-rate thug, but at least he knows what he wants. And he’s taking every advantage. Gone are the days of Deng Xiaoping’s cunning “hide your strength, bide your time, never take the lead” strategy. After amassing to himself greater powers than any Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, Xi is setting China on a course to dominate the global economy. He has made it clear that he intends to do so in open defiance of the foundational rules that bind liberal democracies. And he will do so by coercion and intimidation, by deception or in plain sight. Xi will exploit our every weakness and overwhelm every unguarded flank.