CCTV FOLLIES 7.26 THE PLA STANDS UP.....TO XI?

Xi Jinping is still numero uno, and he is still above the law, and it still goes against the law to criticize him, but he's not the only power in town. Today's news extols and glorifies the PLA!

CCTV’s Xinwen Lianbo sings praise of the PLA so that the PLA may sing praise of the Third Plenum and the party may indulge in more praise of its vision and mission.

Xi’s policies and Xi-speak have been embedded in the language of Third Plenum, so the camera-shy big man gets his due as head of the party even when he isn’t explicitly part of the story. The preponderant, ponderous personality cult is still intact, maybe a little less so than before, or perhaps taking a breather today, for Xi gets precious few of the usual photo opportunities and full-spectrum dominance today.

Instead, the CCP dictatorship emphasizes its collective aspect, and speaks in the deeply resonant voice of ruling party and the just-concluded plenum rather than putting the focus on the peevish personality of the party’s particular leader.

The news segment opens with the usual grandiose shot of Xi, but just a single glimpse, here shown speaking at the Third Plenum at a meeting hall in western Beijing.