Xenophobic nationalism with a good dose of victimology, has been periodically expressed throughout China's modernization. Under Xi, China has aggressively reversed it's "kowtowed" diplomatic position in favor of vitriol towards all forms of international criticism whether deserved or not. In the past, the central government has kept these episodes of public outrage on a short leash. Will Xinjiang cotton be the lightning rod for an outsized break in China's commercial relations with the West? Does Xi calculate China's diplomatically ready for the blowback that might arise on the technology side of the trade equation?