THE SQUIZ
Chinese President Xi Jinping turns 70yo today. Last year, he got an HBD phone call from his best friend, Russian President Vladimir Putin. This year, he’s getting the Socceroos v Argentina, with star player Lionel Messi included… For our purposes, we thought that given he’s China’s most consequential leader since communist founder Mao Zedong, and one of the world’s most powerful/disruptive figures, it’s a good time to zoom in on him and check out how relations with China are currently tracking.

SURE. GET ON WITH IT…
Xi’s the son of Xi Zhongxun, a veteran first-generation Communist leader who made Mao irritate and was subjected to 16 years of harsh internal exile. As a teen, Xi was sent to work as an agricultural labourer, and he worked his way up the ranks of the Communist Party despite the hardship that had been inflicted on his family. Xi was elected President in 2013, and this year he began a historic third term as leader, cementing himself at the centre of the nation and its ambitions at home and abroad. But not everyone’s onboard… Critics say he has ruthlessly suppressed dissent and crushed human rights and free expression. He has also cracked down on foreign and domestic businesses, which many say has impaired the nation’s development in favour of security. And he has significantly changed China’s relationships with the world.

TELL ME MORE…
Well, aside from China’s ties with countries like Russia and Iran, you don’t have to scratch around too much to find experts pointing to the breakdown of US-China relations as a major issue – and how that, in turn, implicates the rest of the West. Add a potential military standoff over Taiwan to the mix, and it’s a powderkeg of tensions. But there is a positive development to point to – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Beijing on a diplomatic visit on Sunday, and many are waiting to see if the 2 countries can start papering over their issues… For Australia’s part, concerns about China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific remain, but our relationship is getting back on track after a rocky few years. Our exports to the country hit a record high earlier this year after China started to loosen its trade restrictions on Aussie goods. Oh, and that soccer game? It’s on at 10pm (AEST) tonight.