>> The final reason why China is winning is that the trade war has made Mr Xi and the Communist Party stronger, not weaker. > I am not so sure of this. The CCP

>> The final reason why China is winning is that the trade war has made Mr Xi and the Communist Party stronger, not weaker. > I am not so sure of this. The CCP just had to go through a massive purge [0] on the top, right before elections. This is not an indicator of "stronger" position of a despot. A despot that can pull of a purge is stronger than one who cannot, and purges might be necessary to keep people in line an maintain strength.