A 6,000-word profile of Xi Jinping that presents him as a market reformer comparable to Deng Xiaoping, the paramount leader credited with launching “reform and opening,” has been published by Xinhua, China’s official news agency.

The article in English seems aimed at reassuring spooked foreign business and convincing them to continue to invest in China. Beijing is deeply worried following last year's extremely poor showing for growth in fdi, at a 30-year low.

Calling Xi “another outstanding reformer in the country after Deng Xiaoping,” the profile notes that “the two leaders faced the same mission—to modernize China, but against strikingly different backdrops.”

“Over the past decade, more than 2,000 reform measures have been rolled out, enabling the country to eliminate extreme poverty, promote integrated urban-rural development, fight corruption, support businesses, boost innovation, and push forward a ‘green revolution,’” the article states.

“The piece said Xi’s performance during the NPC session dispelled concerns about the Chinese economy losing steam. It also highlighted a party conclave convened in 2013 under Xi’s leadership as a milestone, much like a similar meeting led by Deng in 1978, when he ushered in the era of reform,” reports Bloomberg News.

The article “may be an attempt to polish China’s message as a market-friendly investment destination amenable to foreigners,” says Wen-Ti Sung, nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.

Fact check: Xi has been anything but market-friendly and has pushed for tighter party control over business to “Love the Communist Party” in 2016. Meanwhile, the sweeping reforms promised at the 2013 Third Plenum—the party enclave the article compares favorably to the 1978 launch of reform and opening—have largely not materialized as I predicted would be the case over a decade ago.

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7:33 PM
Mar 17