De: China up close: Nikkei Asian Review
Subject: Xi rallies his troops

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	China Up Close April 3, 2020

	Xi sends coded message to closest aides through Zhejiang trip With COVID-19 continuing to wreak havoc globally, Chinese President Xi Jinping took the time this week to visit his favorite province of Zhejiang, where he was based from 2002 to 2007 and established himself as the future leader of the world's most populous nation. His subordinates from those days, including his speechwriter, chief of staff and local party chiefs, have since risen to top positions in such places as Shanghai, Chongqing and coronavirus-hit Hubei Province. Xi in effect rules China through his "Zhejiang faction." State media coverage of the Zhejiang trip included video of Xi speaking to village officials there 15 years ago, when he was 52. It was a hidden message to aides now scattered across China to rally around him as he navigates the stormy waters of the pandemic. Read here.
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