By Yvan Bennett and John Garrick (*) – Aside from fake snow and COVID-19, the Beijing Winter Games are controversial for many reasons. They are a potent political symbol of the Chinese state’s ambitions and authority. Held just a year after the triumphalist 100-year anniversary of the Communist Party's founding, General Secretary Xi Jinping is using the Olympics to showcase to the world that China is powerful and on track to fulfill its Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.
President Xi Jinping has unveiled a new slate of top leaders that shows he reigns supreme in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He not only placed people loyal to him in key positions, but also defied convention in not naming potential successors to the party's top decision-making body, the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee (PSC).