April’s dismal economic data from China has led many pundits to question whether the combination of crackdowns on the technology and real estate sectors, along with Beijing’s insistence on its zero-Covid stance, is really serving the country well. Some have even speculated that criticism of Xi Jinping and his policies is growing within the upper echelons of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Given the high degree of power consolidation that Xi has carried out in recent years, outright opp