Watching China's year for history

Main contradiction reinforced

Two unpleasant events in Beijing reinforced the new "principal contradiction", highlighting "the people's ever-growing needs for a better life" as that surprisingly powerful lens for viewing Chinese society. The first was alleged child abuse at a kindergarten. The second was a fire in which 19 migrant workers died. In both cases, netizens reacted with anger: in the alleged child abuse, anger about a perceived coverup; in the fire, anger for the disorderly and inconsiderate way of evacuating migrant workers.

When Xi first announced the new principal contradiction at the 19th Party Congress, some dismissed it as arcane Party-speak. Public reaction to the alleged child abuse and to the fire revealed its prescient and perspicacious wisdom.

The second volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, a collection of 99 of Xi's speeches, conversations, instructions and letters, was published. The book offers a resource to follow the development of Xi's ways of thinking and ideas and to understand China's new guiding philosophy and the specific elements that compose it.

The month ended with what may seem a light touch when Xi called for China to upgrade its toilets. Toilets among the year's highlights? Xi was serious and his point is probative. For China to become a more civilized society, the hygiene of the people must be improved (especially in rural areas), and for China's tourism industry to blossom, better bathrooms are needed. Although China's leader talking toilets elicits smiles, and some say it downgrades his dignity, it demonstrates, above all, Xi's intrinsic commitment to improve the quality of life for the Chinese people.

December: In the first nine days of the month, Xi engaged with four international events, stressing common commitment to build a community of a shared future for all humanity.