Xi Jinping warns top officials to contain political risks to prevent China’s economy and society from being hit by the “butterfly effect.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned top cadres against preempting political risks, saying a “butterfly effect” could turn small threats into big dangers.

Xi conveyed the message to senior officials at an internal meeting in February, but the comments were only published in a book published by Central Party Literature Press earlier this month.

“Today, various risks and dangers are highly correlated, closely linked and transmitted quickly. “A little carelessness can cause a butterfly effect,” Xi told hundreds of people high-ranking officials at the meeting on February 7th.

“Small risks become big risks, risks become general risks, and economic and social risks become political risks.”

In the speech, Xi also urged officials to “identify risks early, act quickly, take command at the front and make immediate decisions as they arise.”

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Xi Jinping and Joe Biden are holding talks on the sidelines of the `EC summit to ease tense US-China relations

Xi Jinping and Joe Biden are holding talks on the sidelines of the `EC summit to ease tense US-China relations

“Don’t let small things be delayed until they become big things, and don’t let big things be delayed until they explode,” Xi said.

While some parts of the speech had had already been made public beforeThe comments on the butterfly effect have just been revealed in excerpts from Xi Jinping’s discourse on China’s modernization.

Xi’s speech in February came a month before the start of his record third term as Chinese president in March. Earlier state media reports said officials across the country were asked to learn from the speech and put Xi’s mandates into action.

In recent years, Xi has repeatedly stressed the need for vigilance, urging officials to wage a “great battle” and prepare for “worst-case” scenarios.

Dali Yang, a political scientist at the University of Chicago, said Xi’s comments were related to his all-encompassing approach to China’s security.

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“Xi has been concerned with risks of all kinds for many years, and recently it has been important for him to look at national security from a holistic perspective,” Yang said.

“I think when he talked about the butterfly effect it had something to do with the protests last winter.”

A rare wave of protests Protests against strict zero-Covid policies erupted in a handful of Chinese cities in late November last year after a fatal fire at a residential building in the northwestern Xinjiang region killed 10 people. China relaxed many of its controls in December, but continues to risk doing so Topics that regularly emerge in Beijing’s talking points include: Post-pandemic economic downturndemographic crisis and massive municipal debt.

Major challenges abroad include strict US restrictions on China’s technology sector and geopolitical tensions with Washington and its allies.

After a fire in a residential building in Ürümqi late last year, protests against strict zero-Covid policies broke out in Chinese cities, including Shanghai (pictured). Photo: SCMPIn May, Xi warned at one high-level meeting that the national security problems facing China are “much more complex and much more difficult.” He urged officials to prepare for the “worst and most extreme situations” so they could deal with “strong winds and waves and even dangerous storms.”

Referring to Xi’s statement – “Great things cannot be postponed until they explode” – Yang said: “Xi has complaints about the initiative of officials in a system where everything has to be reported upwards.”

Yang added that Xi’s additional emphasis on risk control would impact the entire bureaucracy.

“Whether it is the political and legal departments or the propaganda agencies, they will all make efforts to maintain stability,” he said.

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Under Xi’s leadership, the Communist Party has a holistic view of national security, with regime and ideological security taking precedence. Beijing has placed several areas under the purview of anti-espionage agencies this year, including finance and technology.

Audiences at the February speech included new members of the party’s Central Committee, as well as provincial and ministry officials who hold key leadership positions in the party and the state.

These high-ranking officials were brought together at the Central Party School for a study session to follow up on important decisions made by the Party National Congress last October.

In previously released portions of the speech, Xi said China had “dispelled the myth that modernization means Westernization” and hailed the Chinese model as an example for developing countries to follow.

Xi also urged officials to be fully aware of the risks and challenges facing China and to “dare to fight and fight well,” pledging to “support and encourage” cadres who meet these requirements “.