Leaders | The world’s most powerful man

Xi Jinping has more clout than Donald Trump. The world should be wary

Do not expect Mr Xi to change China, or the world, for the better

AMERICAN presidents have a habit of describing their Chinese counterparts in terms of awe. A fawning Richard Nixon said to Mao Zedong that the chairman’s writings had “changed the world”. To Jimmy Carter, Deng Xiaoping was a string of flattering adjectives: “smart, tough, intelligent, frank, courageous, personable, self-assured, friendly”. Bill Clinton described China’s then president, Jiang Zemin, as a “visionary” and “a man of extraordinary intellect”. Donald Trump is no less wowed. The Washington Post quotes him as saying that China’s current leader, Xi Jinping, is “probably the most powerful” China has had in a century.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The world’s most powerful man”

Xi Jinping has more clout than Donald Trump. The world should be wary

From the October 14th 2017 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at her daily press conference in Mexico City, Mexico, May 13th 2025

Mexico’s government is throttling the rule of law

Elected judges will be bad for governance and good for gangs

Europe’s free-speech problem

J.D. Vance was right


Crypto has become the ultimate swamp asset

An industry that dreamed of being above politics has become synonymous with self-dealing


Is Donald Trump a good dealmaker?

Amid a flurry of moves, the president is turning America into the world’s broker, not its underwriter 

Stop-gap deals do not mean Donald Trump’s trade war is over

Barriers between America and China are still far too high. So is uncertainty

How to handle the AI manager. Advice from our new podcast

For tips on good management, listen to the latest season of “Boss Class”