Gunners Shot

In this episode Mr Sanjay Dixit and I discuss the evolution of Xi Jinping as a dictator on par with Mao, Hitler and  Stalin. We also discuss the Xi's form of Cultural Revolution and his version of the Great Leap Forward.   

 Aadi and I discuss the unceremonious exit of Hu Jintao which was put on display during the 20 Party Congress. Irrespective of the reason for the exit, it was stage managed for effect. 

Published in The Financial Express @ The Xi of everything Xi believes that he has a mandate from heaven to lead his nation to the pinnacle of the international system. He has preordained himself to be the greatest Chinese to be born. He has scripted his history yet to be lived.  October 25, 2022 1:25:59 pm By Lt Gen P R Shankar (R) In the past one month we have been treated to the spectacle of a dictator anointing himself for life. A nondescript personality ten years back, turned himself into a chairman of everything and the core of a party in the most populous nation on earth. Something like a frog which turned itself into an Ogre. We need to think hard since it has implications for all of us. Hitherto we were dealing either with a nation or an authoritarian party interchangeably. Henceforth when we deal with China, it is no more a nation or a system or a collective entity but an extension of an individual – the Xi of all things. Xi believes that he has a mandate from heaven to lead h

Published in  The Financial Express @ Common prosperity and state control Eradicating absolute poverty and building a moderately prosperous society have been landmark achievements of common prosperity in the past decade. This is a laudable achievement in a population of 1.4 billion.  October 23, 2022 1:32:32 pm By Lt Gen P R Shankar (R) Common prosperity is a core economic agenda of Xi Jinping and CPC in the 20th Party  Congress . In fact, it is a recurring theme in China. One will hear of it more in future. However, it is neither a new phrase nor a new theme. Promoting common prosperity through collective efforts of the ‘communes’ has been a long stated objective of the CPC and an essential ingredient of socialism. It is a key feature of Chinese modernization. Common prosperity refers to affluence shared by everyone. As per the communists, eradicating absolute poverty and building a moderately prosperous society have been landmark achievements of common prosperity in the past decade.

  Gayatri and I had a straightforward no nonsense discussion on how Xi Jinping has matured absolute power. We also touched upon the implications for India. It was good to express myself in Hindi once again. 

Ms Gayatri Devi and I had a broad based discussion on Pakistan including the two faceted relations between USA and Pakistan and how to handle them. A confidant India should have the bandwidth to handle these ups and downs. The discussion is in Hindi.   

Published in The Print @ China’s ‘Century of humiliation’ never ended. It needs a Mandela or Gandhi now Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping—All of them have contributed to humiliating the Chinese people to keep CCP in power and achieve personal glory. LT GEN P R SHANKAR RETD 16 October, 2022 10:50 am IST The narrative of the revenge on the ‘Century of Humiliation’, when China has suffered at the hands of foreign powers, will be blown-up at the 20th Communist Party Congress. There is a need to understand this aspect of the Communist thinking in its correct perspective. There is another ‘Century of Humiliation’ being heaped upon the Chinese people, which is completely buried under the Communist narrative. The ‘Century of Humiliation (1839-1949)’ is the multifaceted period when the imperial government lost control over large portions of Chinese territory to foreigners. The Opium Wars represent one facet. In the First Opium War (1839-1842) British gunboats went up the Yangtze River a