China Real Time - January 2, 2014
China’s president, Xi Jinping, may not have a computer on his desk,
but touchtone telephones and pencils are in ample supply for the
Communist Party chief.
In delivering a nationally broadcast New Year’s greeting, party
leaders provided the Chinese public a carefully scripted first glimpse
into what state media said was Mr. Xi’s office.
The four-minute address from Mr. Xi was far from a fireside chat. He
made use of favored party slogans like “common development” and “the
great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” Mr. Xi reiterated a promise to undertake sensitive and long-awaited economic reforms.
Chinese leaders have delivered New Year’s addresses before; Hu Jintao
stood stiffly at a lectern. So putting Mr. Xi behind a desk with books
and photos on the wall marks a new type of image-crafting. Casting Mr.
Xi as a patriot and a family man seemed foremost. Video of the address
shows a painting of the Great Wall and a Chinese flag directly behind
the large wooden desk. Six photographs can be seen in the bookcases
behind and next to it.
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