Xi stated during a recent visit to Xi’an Jiaotong University that significant historical progress often follows major disasters. He believes that China has grown and strengthened as a nation through enduring hardship and suffering. Xi, who faced adversity in his youth, sees the pandemic as a chance to redeem the party and boost national pride in response to international criticism. State propaganda is supporting Xi's leadership in the fight against the pandemic. As the National People's Congress approaches, Xi aims to translate his calls for unity into action, with a focus on restoring the pre-pandemic agenda and eradicating extreme poverty. He warns against complacency that could lead to a second wave of infections. He must handle all of these tasks while the country is facing a diplomatic and economic environment as challenging as any since the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. According to Carl Minzner, a professor at Fordham University, there is a lot of political risk involved in positioning oneself as a great leader capable of leading the country. Xi has presented himself as an essential leader defending China against significant threats, which has led to party members and the public rallying around him, despite concerns about the handling of the outbreak. Xi's first public appearance during the crisis came just two days after ordering the lockdown of Wuhan in late January, where the coronavirus outbreak originated. He led an unconventional televised meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee, the highest political body in the country, during a time when thousands were infected and many had died. According to a detailed report in People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, he expressed difficulty sleeping the night before the Lunar New Year holiday and appeared to step back from his typical spotlight. Xi also relinquished control of the country's No... Premier Li Keqiang, one of China's leaders, was initially responsible for the government's emergency response, potentially positioning himself to take blame if the crisis worsened. However, as China gained control over the outbreak, the party's propaganda shifted focus back to Xi Jinping, pushing Li into the background. Li will be delivering a keynote report to the National People's Congress, but Xi is expected to receive the majority of media attention, providing guidance to provincial leaders and repeating policy priorities. Despite initial failures in the fight against the disease and international criticism, Xi remains confident in the government's actions, stating that they have been open, transparent, and responsible. Xi has cautioned that China is dealing with a world that is becoming more uncertain. He has balanced his optimistic outlook with concerns about potential economic crises, foreign conflicts, and political instability. In a recent address to the Politburo Standing Committee, he emphasized the need to prepare for prolonged changes in external conditions due to the global pandemic and economic shifts. The biggest obstacle may be the economy, which experienced its first contraction in over forty years of transformation. The Communist Party's legitimacy has long been supported by the increasing prosperity of millions of Chinese people. In recent weeks, President Xi Jinping has visited three provinces - Zhejiang, Shanxi, and Shaanxi - in an effort to refocus on the policy agenda that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic. Xi, wearing his typical dark blue windbreaker and a mask indoors, has toured factories, ports, government offices, and scenic areas to promote a return to normalcy while implementing new measures to prevent infection. In rural villages, he has shown interest in crops like wood ear fungus and chrysanthemums, which are essential for his anti-poverty efforts. The television news in China showed a man addressing a group of villagers in Shaanxi, praising their wood ear fungus and suggesting it could help lift them out of poverty. However, despite the Communist Party's efforts to portray China as overcoming the epidemic, a visit to Xi'an Jiaotong University revealed that life was still far from normal. The cheering crowd of students and professors appeared to be staged, as the university remained mostly closed. Xi joked about the situation, pointing out that school had not yet reopened. This article is copyrighted by The New York Times Company in 2020.