He has solidified control over ever more of Chinese political and social life and the economy. While the trade war with the United States provides a handy scapegoat, public blame for a prolonged downturn could ultimately fall on him. “China just announced that their economy is growing much slower than anticipated because of our Trade War with them,” he tweeted on Friday. Beijing’s efforts in the spring to wean the economy off debt, a major cause of the slowdown, are now being reversed. Already, China has ramped up the sort of government-led spending that bailed out its economy in the past.

Source: New York Times December 14, 2018 13:04 UTC