All about the optics: Chinese media goes full-throttle to make Jinping look like a 'messiah'

Chinese media is allegedly peddling a positive narrative for President Xi Jining. Most of these pegs run along the lines of him being a people-centric leader, “a president who is eradicating poverty”, and an “environmentalist”, all while being a “messiah for minorities”.

On the other hand, calls to bring more transparency into the initial information given by China regarding the outbreak are getting louder around the world. To counter the global outrage, Chinese outlets are selling his most mundane activities as news stories.

A video released by the state-run CCTV on June 14 showed Jinping standing by the Chinese people, living upto the motto of “people first”.

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“When you feel happy, we are happy, too. The Communist Party of China serves the people and does good things for the people. The communist party works for the happiness of the people”, Jinping said.

However, an entirely different situation continues to brew in Hong Kong, the semi-autonomous region. Many protesters have been shot at with rubber bullets, while laws bypassing the legislature elected by the people are becoming a yearly occurrence. Instances of mysterious disappearances also continue to dent China’s image globally.

Meanwhile, the Chinese state media will only show you stories of national unity, how Xi Jinping values China's diverse culture and “intangible cultural heritage”.

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“All the civilisations created by humanity is the crystallisations of the hard labor and wisdom. The achievements of any civilisation deserve our respect and must be treasured”, Jinping was quoted saying.

The reality in China paints an entirely different picture. The Hui and Uighur people of china have been targeted for decades. While some have been branded extremists and sent to re-education camps, some have been convicted without evidence and are being tortured in detention.

Allegedly, this is part of China’s attempts to make every culture within its borders to appear more Chinese.