Xi says China should prepare for crisis

Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized jeopardies faced by China by mentioning “white rhino” and “black swan.”

According to China's state-run channel CCTV, President Xi attended a group training for the Chinese Community Party’s central politburo on Thursday where he said, “China should properly forecast various jeopardies and challenges, and should be well prepared for white rhino and black swan incidents.” The white rhino refers to a jeopardy that can be predicted but can be easily overlooked, while the black swan is a risk that has a slim chance of occurring but causes massive damage once it occurs.

As a massive transformation that is unprecedented over the past 100 years is now happening around the world, China should recognize and deeply understand complex international situations and create an environment favorable to China’s development, the Chinese president added. Xi made the remarks as experts predicted that the U.S. will not change the stance of bilateral rivalry even after the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration. U.S.-China conflicts that were aggravated during the Donald Trump administration has now expanded from trade to diplomacy and national security.

Xi has been mentioning white rhino and black swan whenever emphasizing a crisis. When the Covid-19 pandemic was spreading wildly in February last year, the Chinese president said that the entire world is agonizing how to prevent white rhino and black swan in the area of quarantine” in his calls with the Indonesian president and the Malaysian prime minister. When China was announcing the lowest economic growth rate in 28 years in January 2019, Xi said, “International situations are difficult to predict and surrounding environment is complex and delicate. We have to be highly vigilant against black swan and prevent white rhino.” He even compared preventing jeopardies such as white rhino or black swan to a war.


Ki-Yong Kim kky@donga.com