Shortly after Xi’s assumption of power, he lamented to local officials in Guangdong that when the Soviet Union collapsed, the elite had lost the will to fight. At a time when the Chinese Communist Party’s political monopoly is increasingly being challenged, Xi will not make that mistake.
但习近平的计划不只限于个人权威——而苏联的教训亦然。习近平掌权后不久，便向广东地方官员感叹道，苏联解体时精英早已失去了战斗精神。在中共政治垄断地位日益受到挑战的时候，习近平不会重蹈覆辙。