President Xi struck a note of defiance against the United States today and warned against any measures that could undermine the Communist Party’s rule during a speech to mark 40 years of Chinese economic reforms. Mr Xi said that China would not be told what to do by other nations. He gave examples of the country’s progress and said that, given such achievements, “no one is in a position to dictate to the Chinese people”. Mr Xi appears to be moving away from the era heralded by Deng Xiaoping, the architect of China’s economic reforms who championed social tolerance and sought some degree of political liberalisation. Emboldened by China’s economic success, Mr Xi believes that China should now be more assertive in its foreign policy,…

Source: The Times December 18, 2018 12:00 UTC