I don't understand Xi's course of action either. This article might shed some light. They claim that Xi has jumped from early economic development-centered policies to polices that put security first. Security means whatever Xi wants it to be, internal security, external security, economic security, security through technical prowess, security through food independence, and so forth. If anybody understands what "
Hegelian-Marxist dialectics that guide Xi and his comrades’ way of thinking" means, please fill me in.
By Guoguang Wu | Beijing’s focus has been on strong and steady economic growth for decades. But China’s leader has just put an end to that era. For Xi, it’s only about power—at home and abroad.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
What I do understand from the article is if Xi had stuck with the status quo economic development policies, he would have had to step down so that somebody else could continue on and take China into world leadership. Xi stole a march by changing the country's focus from economic development to security and thus made him the one -- he believes -- to make China number one.
So, maybe he's just a power mad megalomaniac, who doesn't need a reason, just, power for power's sake.