Playing with fire: why are Donald Trump and Xi Jinping whipping up nationalist fervour?

Tom Plate says repeated calls by the two leaders to rally their fan base at home towards restoring national greatness and rejuvenation – even if needed for political purposes – risk endangering the China-US relationship

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It is difficult to understand the pressing need of the world’s two greatest powers to restore greatness and rejuvenation when they have plenty of that already. What they don’t have enough of is working together. Illustration: Timothy Mcevenue

Published: 5:30pm, 7 May 2018Updated: 9:11pm, 7 May 2018

President Donald Trump strives to “make America great again”, but for what purpose and to whose detriment? And, if in an inarguable sense America, for all its flaws, is still “great”, how much more greatness is needed? After all, America is not going to topple like the Soviet Union: anti-Americans of the world, please curb your enthusiasm. (And, dear Chinese master planners: drawing as you do on the best minds at your universities and think tanks, why ground your planning on the presumption that America is some pitiless, helpless giant going down history’s loser lane? In fact, I bet the sharpest among you don’t.)

Similarly, President Xi Jinping strives to renew respect in Asia for the relevance of Marxism on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx, that famous European thinker. What? This from the Chinese leader who in Davos last year delivered a state-of-the-art speech on modern globalisation and China’s commitment to it? How can this be?

The Xi case is more engrossing and important than Trump’s. Repeatedly, China’s president urges his Communist Party to remain faithful to Marxian political-intellectual heritage. Party members should steep themselves in the reading of Marxist works as more than mere economic guidance, but as a “way of life” and a “spiritual pursuit”. Indeed, as a secular religion, Marxism requires of its worshippers much belief.

An exhibition at China’s National Museum in Beijing commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx. At an event last week to mark the anniversary, President Xi Jinping urged Communist Party members to remain faithful to Marxian political-intellectual heritage. Photo: AP

The goal is to advance the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”. Correct me if you think I’m wrong, but except for aliens on other planets, hasn’t almost everyone been knocked out by how rejuvenated China is already? Too much more of it, and we may all keel over from fatigue just watching its roar of rejuvenation. Anti-communists of the world: curb your dogmatism.