There are no signs that Xi Jinping's impressive control over the communist party and state apparatus has loosened or faces any imminent challenge but from being feted as "chairman of everything", the leader faces a long haul in regaining the momentum that had seen him ride over the economic slowdown in the Chinese economy in 2015-16 without breaking into a sweat

NEW DELHI: A bid to assert Chinese power to signal that the communist giant is far from weakened post Covid-induced economic and diplomatic shocks might end up posing bigger questions for China's supreme leader President Xi Jinping as India and other nations push back at Beijing's muscle-flexing.

There are no signs that Xi's impressive control over the communist party and state apparatus has loosened or faces any imminent challenge but from being feted as "chairman of everything", the leader faces a long haul in regaining the momentum that had seen him ride over the economic slowdown in the Chinese economy in 2015-16 without breaking into a sweat.

The economic crunch China is now experiencing, and even more significantly the souring mood in western nations, including those that have indulged the regime in the past, is hurtful. Used to frequent travel abroad for work,study and tourism, the Chinese elite had come to see their nation's primacy as a settled fact.

The entire Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) network was intended to further China's political goals and enmesh client countries in economic dependencies but now the ambitious project has taken a serious hit. Many countries are demanding rescheduling of debt and image-building exercise has been severely damaged by the charge that China hid the emergence of COVID infections for weeks on end.

Despite the harsh experience of his family being purged during the Cultural Revolution, Xi has been a party loyalist, completely wedded to the goal of retaining and refurbishing the communist party's legitimacy as sole arbiter of China's fortunes. This contract has largely rested on the party's ability to deliver economic progress and Xi has added to it a ruthless campaign against corruption that has also seen him take down rivals.

Though China's recent aggression is intended to remind its neighbours near and afar (Australia) of their subservient position, things haven't gone to plan. India has responded to intrusions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) unambiguously, making it clear that it will not be deterred by the risk of escalation. Australia has shrugged off threats to halt imports and stall the influx of Chinese students. Japan and South East Asian countries have called on China to respect laws of the sea.

The flurry of criticism over new, restrictive laws in Hong Kong will not make Xi change his path. But it is a bewildering world for Chinese elites who have accepted the trade-off between democracy and economic well -being. In the short run, a tide of nationalism can help the leader deflect attention from pricklier matters.

But Xi may find that the task of preserving the supremacy of the party in the eyes of the people has become more daunting.