Xi and Putin share a trait -- they cannot show weakness

   

Xi and Putin share a trait -- they cannot show weakness

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have some traits in common.
 
Leading an authoritarian regime is one. Another is they cannot afford to show weakness. The slightest sign of frailty could trigger massive, nation-shaking political movements.
 
The recent death of Alexei Navalny, Russia's leading opposition figure and a critic of Putin's, was a reminder of this idiosyncrasy. With the Russian presidential election nearing, it was Putin's "show of strength," a well-informed source said.
 
Xi, meanwhile, is behaving similarly by not yet convening the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee, an important economic meeting that should have been held by the end of 2023. He needs to flex his political muscles to senior party officials who will be present but is simply not yet confident he can do so.
 
Why is that? Clues could be distilled from the Chinese New Year reception hosted by the Chinese Communist Party and State Council on Feb. 8. Wei Fenghe, a retired military heavyweight and former defense minister, was absent from the event.