If you look at the portraits of Chinese leaders written up by mainstream Western media in the past, the impression you get is that they would be authoritarian, poker-faced, illegitimate and power-thirsty. When the leader of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping was given a second mandate, the doubts in the Western media grew louder surrounding his so-called concentration of power. In fact, ever since the anti-graft campaign he initiated a couple of years ago, he has been accused of using it to sideline opponents to gain a stronger grip on the country. Now, such doubts again capture Western front pages. 

This has been the usual Western approach: if the Chinese system is working and working pretty well, attack the leader. What Xi Jinping has led the country to achieve is not important, make him look like a strongman and his legitimacy will be undermined. The mainstream Western readership is also comfortable to be fed such a description of Chinese leaders. 

The Chinese people have a different standard to gauge their leaders: Do they deliver on their promises? The CPC has solemnly pledged a two-step blueprint: to basically modernize the country by 2035 and make China a great modern socialist country by 2050. A strong leadership is necessary to steer the country through the crucial transitional period from a low-income to a middle-income country in the next few years. 

There has never been a country in history that is experiencing what China is going through. To achieve this historic transition, China needs strong leadership that understands the fundamental needs of the people, strong leadership that’s able to hold the Party and the country together,  strong leadership that can fight vested interests to push forward painful reforms, and strong leadership to rejuvenate China while maintaining its independence. Xi Jinping has a chance to prove if he has what it takes to achieve those goals. The world will be watching. 

This is Liu Xin, Getting to the Point. Follow me on Twitter or Facebook using the handle @thepointwithlx. Or go to YouTube and look for ‘CGTN the point’.