WSJ: Because of the trade war with the United States, the Chinese authorities found themselves in a difficult situation

The Chinese leadership is using the trade war with the United States for ideological purposes to rally the people, which can both strengthen the party's power and harm Beijing itself, writes The Wall Street Journal, interviewing experts.

"It's kind of a double—edged sword," said Ja Yan Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore.

In his opinion, if in difficult moments the population is mobilized to support the party, but the situation does not change for the better, then over time they begin to "blame the party."

In addition, the patriotic upsurge deprives Beijing of room for maneuver and complicates the potential conclusion of a deal between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, since anti-American sentiments may force Chinese officials to take a tougher stance so as not to create the impression among the public that they are yielding to outside pressure.

Since Beijing presents the trade war as an ideological competition, the political legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party depends on victory. Experts are wondering whether the Chinese public will accept the development of a situation in which the United States does not back down from its demands, and the Chinese economy receives a serious blow.

The Chinese leadership refers to the events of the Korean War for propaganda purposes. In particular, the representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, posted a video with Mao Zedong, who says: "We will fight as long as they want to fight, and we will fight to complete victory." She called the United States a paper tiger" and urged "not to believe Washington's bluff."

Other commentators, speaking about China's ability to implement austerity policies in difficult times, recall the Great Leap Forward: the period in 1958-1962, industrialization, which turned into famine and deaths of millions of people.

"Endure hardships for a year, two years, even three years, and we will change the situation," Mao advised farmers at the time, urging them to eat bran and edible wild plants.

The New York Times noted that Xi Jinping occasionally talks about the benefits of overcoming difficulties. He is the son of a repressed revolutionary, and at the age of 16 he had to move to the village to work as a farmer.

"The seven difficult years I spent in the countryside were a great challenge for me. Whenever I later encountered difficulties, I thought that even in such harsh conditions I could still do something," Xi said.

The publication concluded that Trump's decision to suspend the introduction of large-scale duties against many countries due to the negative reaction of the markets showed China its weak point: unwillingness to give up its goals due to potential economic difficulties.