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Will current crises cost Xi Jinping?
His resolute zero tolerance policy on Covid-19 amid multiple outbreaks, and 'no limits' friendship with Putin may weigh on mandate to rule for a rare third term
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Tan Dawn Wei China Bureau Chief In BeijingBenjamin Kang Lim Global Affairs Correspondent In Beijing, Tan Dawn Wei, Benjamin Kang Lim
Last year was an exceptional year for Chinese President Xi Jinping. In February, he proudly declared that the country of 1.4 billion had wiped out absolute poverty and lifted 850 million people out of abject hardship - a feat that is nothing short of a miracle.
Riding on a high fuelled by a systematic and extensive propaganda campaign to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), he stood in Tiananmen Square on July 1 last year and declared another significant achievement.
