What the Floods Say About Xi Jinping
The article critiques Chinese leader Xi Jinping's absence from the scene of a recent catastrophic flood in the Himalayas. It argues that his detachment from public crises reflects a shift toward an imperial style of governance that ignores the needs of the working class.
Why it matters
It highlights the changing political dynamics in China and the potential risks associated with the consolidation of power under a leader who is increasingly insulated from public sentiment.
China’s leader behaves more like an emperor than a man of the people.
Hans Christian Plambeck /laif/ Redux September 3, 2026, 8:06 AM ET Share Save When the Yangtze River flooded in 1998 and inundated villages in central China, Jiang Zemin, the Communist Party’s general secretary, was on the scene, bullhorn in hand, to encourage local relief efforts. Ten years later, his successor, Hu Jintao, stood among the rubble after an earthquake rocked Sichuan province, in the country’s southwest. Last week, after floodwaters caused by a collapsing glacier tore through the Himalayas between Nepal and China, leaving more than 1,100 people dead and thousands more missing, the party’s current general secretary, Xi Jinping, stayed largely and safely in Beijing.
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