Xi Jinping tells entrepreneurs ‘east wind’ will carry China above rivals

President Xi Jinping has reiterated his view of China’s inevitable rise – a belief that continues to drive policymaking at the highest level – at a closely watched symposium with prominent entrepreneurs, held to boost private-sector morale and shore up economic momentum.

“In the long term, the east wind is still prevailing … confidence is very important,” he said, echoing a slogan from Mao Zedong, founder of the People’s Republic of China.

In the 1950s, the revolutionary leader adopted a phrase from classical literature, “the east wind prevails over the west wind”, to proclaim the eventual victory of socialism over capitalism.

Stressing the Chinese economy’s size and resilience, Xi said “there is no other place that compares” anywhere on the globe.

His remarks came as confidence in the world’s second-largest economy has been on the wane, particularly among private enterprise. In 2025, lacklustre consumption, a prolonged real estate slump and tariff hikes

from the United States all threaten to weigh down growth.