What you point to is, in spite of often fawning (and faux) admiration toward the CCP, its highly crafted skill in tying its shoelaces together. Of course, a policy cannot be built upon such contingencies happening regularly and predictably, only that they will. We're kind of seeing this in the slow unraveling of the BRI. Also, I read these sorts of comments by a PRC official and think, this isn't helping: https://bitterwinter.org/chinas-secret-weapon-changing-the-meaning-of-human-rights/