Editor’s note for Tuesday, October 13, 2020

My thoughts today:

What you need to know about Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 today:

• He is consolidating his already awesome power ahead of his party’s October plenum, and continuing his message to his military to be prepared to go to war.
• He is visiting Shenzhen and other southern Chinese cities. This is a continuation of a Chinese tradition practiced by the Qing dynasty emperors Kāngxī 康熙 and Qiánlóng 乾隆 as well as Dèng Xiǎopíng 邓小平. It includes “playing the typical condescending northern Party boss, lecturing people in Chaozhou about the place they actually live in,” in the words of one of my correspondents. This is “a common practice since the 1950s for Party leaders to be given briefing notes, called huāxù 花絮, before they go anywhere so they can make a show of their ‘local knowledge’ — about regional cuisine, language, history, legends and sundry anecdotes.”
• The Shenzhen visit is a pointed snub to Hong Kong. The message is clear: We’re going to replace Hong Kong with Shenzhen, which Quartz accurately calls Xi Jinping’s ideal financial hub.
• Another message from Xi: Prepare for decoupling from the U.S. and make sure China is “self-reliant.” 

Events you might be interested in:

• Tomorrow, October 14, Caixin Global and Greenwich Economic Forum present a webinar with Gāo Xīqìng 高西庆, former CIO of China Investment Corporation, Wáng Tāo 王涛, chief China economist at UBS, and David McCormick, CEO of Bridgewater. They will discuss the economic implications of the U.S. elections amid U.S.-China competition. Click here for details and to register.
• On October 27, The Serica Initiative will host a live China Corner Office podcast, VC and Impact Investing in China: Investing in a Time of Uncertainty, with the co-founder of Teja Ventures, Virginia Tan.

Our word of the day is Shenzhen Special Economic Zone 深圳经济特区 shēnzhèn jīngjì tè qū. Xi will give a speech tomorrow marking the 40th anniversary of the system.

—Jeremy Goldkorn, Editor-in-Chief