China's coming crisis
The dash to Beijing by Whitehall is based on a mistaken assumption that China will triumph in the 21st century
This is my newsletter for subscribers. If you are a paying subscriber, thank you. If you would like to receive more than a taste of the newsletter you can upgrade to paid.
It’s obviously not as earth shatteringly consequential as the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham being barred last month from standing in an upcoming Westminster by-election, but even up against the supposedly epoch defining scandal of Burnham having his career plans disturbed, the recent purge of the Chinese military leadership was a significant event.
Although it is not on a par with the cosmic injustice meted out to Burham, who was told he could not stand in a contest which might have allowed him back into the Commons from where he could challenge and topple Keir Starmer and become Prime Minister, China’s military purge is nonetheless important, though clearly not as important as the disruption of Burnham’s career.
For those of you living abroad, or for other reasons not familiar with the work of Burnham, or familiar with his work but immune to his charms, Labour is up against it in a by-election being held in Gorton and Denton on 26 February. Burnham, a former cabinet minister, wanted to stand and Starmer and last month Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee said no.
For days on end the saga led the news bulletins in Britain and Burnham received incredible amounts of analysis. Meanwhile, in China, Xi Jinping removed Zhang Youxia, China’s top general, and another senior military commander, Gen Liu Zhenli. Of seven members of the CMC, the Central Military Commission which oversees the armed forces, five members have been investigated or vanished. Of the two left in post, one is, obviously, China’s leader Xi Jinping.