Earlier this year, The Economist’s excellent podcast, Drum Tower, reported, “Xi Jinping likes to tell people in China that their country is not just a democracy, but a much higher-functioning democracy than those you’d find in the West. He coined a slogan, ‘whole-process people’s democracy’ to refer to China’s style of democracy…”

While helpful to analyze and argue the merits of General Secretary Xi’s assertion, we should begin by recognizing Xi’s fundamental desperation for an appearance of legitimacy.

Xi has an uphill struggle to convince anyone that his “whole-process people’s democracy” is in any way a democracy. His troubles begin with Mao Zedong’s foundational declaration that “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” Xi’s difficulties, among others, extend to the observable fact that the Communist Party of China (CPC) dictates who the people it governs can choose for leadership.

To secure the CPC’s authority, Xi reaches for any appearance of legality for its authority that he can appropriate for the CPC. Concepts he tries to usurp include a vestigial reverence for Mao Zedong, the enduring appeal of the American Dream, and the fundamental authenticity of countries whose laws intend to protect people from government bullies. Still, even for the good of Chinese people, the CPC cannot separate itself from Mao’s admonition to always control the gun of state power.

Xi Jinping’s desperation for apparent legitimacy undermines the stability of CPC political and diplomatic positions. With thoughtful preparation, US diplomacy can and should exploit the CPC’s desperation for authenticity to promote peace and prosperity globally.