Xi recently stated during a visit to Xi’an Jiaotong University that great historical progress often occurs following significant disasters. He believes that China has been strengthened and developed through challenging times. Xi, who faced hardships in his youth, sees the pandemic as an opportunity to improve the party's reputation after initial mistakes led to a loss of control over infections. The state propaganda machine is supporting Xi's leadership in the fight against the pandemic. Xi now needs to turn his calls for unity into action, a theme likely to be emphasized at the National People's Congress, which opens on Friday after a long delay. He aims to resume the pre-pandemic agenda, including his commitment to eliminate extreme poverty by this year, while warning against complacency that could lead to a second wave of infections. He must accomplish all of this while the country is facing a challenging diplomatic and economic situation not seen since the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. According to Carl Minzner, a professor at Fordham University, there is a lot of political risk for Xi if he fails to handle the job appropriately, as he has positioned himself as a great leader capable of guiding the country through difficult times. Despite some misgivings about the handling of the outbreak, Xi's portrayal of himself as an essential leader defending China against threats has garnered support from party members and the public. Jude Blanchette, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted that the Chinese leadership would have been in a difficult position if time had been frozen on February 1st. Xi's first public appearance during the crisis came just two days after he ordered the lockdown of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak originated, in late January. He led an unprecedented televised meeting of the country's highest political body, the Politburo Standing Committee, during a time when thousands were infected and many had died. The Chinese Communist Party's People's Daily published a detailed report of the emergency, stating that he confessed to having trouble sleeping the night before the Lunar New Year holiday. Xi also appeared to step back from his usual dominant role, allowing others to take the spotlight. One of China's top leaders, Premier Li Keqiang, was initially responsible for the government's emergency response during the crisis, possibly to shield himself from blame if the situation deteriorated. However, as China managed to control the outbreak, the party's propaganda shifted focus back to Xi, pushing Li into the background. Although Li will present the keynote report to the National People's Congress, it is expected that Xi will receive most of the media attention and will likely offer guidance to provincial leaders and delegates while reiterating policy priorities. Despite criticism, Xi does not appear to have been humbled by the initial failures in the country's response to the disease. He maintains that China has acted with transparency, responsibility, and openness throughout the crisis. Xi has cautioned that China is confronting a world that is becoming increasingly unpredictable. Despite his optimistic outlook for the future, he frequently balances this with warnings about potential economic crises, foreign conflicts, or political instability. In a recent address to the Politburo Standing Committee, he emphasized the importance of being prepared for prolonged changes in global conditions, particularly in light of the recent economic downturn in China. The increasing wealth of millions of Chinese people has been a key factor in the Communist Party's credibility for a long time. Xi has recently visited three provinces - Zhejiang, Shanxi, and Shaanxi - to shift the focus back to the policy agenda that existed before the coronavirus pandemic. Xi, dressed in his usual dark blue windbreaker and a mask indoors, has been touring factories, ports, government buildings, and tourist spots to promote a return to normalcy while implementing new measures to prevent the spread of infection. In rural villages, he has taken a particular interest in crops such as wood ear fungus and chrysanthemums, which are vital to his efforts to reduce poverty. He informed a group of villagers in Shaanxi that their wood ear fungus was well-known and could potentially lift them out of poverty. Despite the Communist Party's efforts to showcase China's success in overcoming the epidemic, a visit to Xi'an Jiaotong University revealed that life was still far from normal. The enthusiastic crowd of students and professors welcoming Xi appeared to be arranged, as the university was mostly closed. Xi humorously pointed out the discrepancy, eliciting some laughter from the crowd. (c.2020 The New York Times Company)