{"id":41136,"date":"2026-04-04T17:57:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T17:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=41136"},"modified":"2026-04-04T17:57:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T17:57:55","slug":"fresh-humiliation-for-chairman-xi-jinping-as-new-xiongan-megacity-stalls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=41136","title":{"rendered":"Fresh humiliation for Chairman Xi Jinping as new Xiong\u2019an megacity stalls"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft wp-block-nypost-editor-partner-article-links\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The Pyramid of Cheops. The Taj Mahal. Chichen Itza. The Colosseum.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re among the great wonders of the world.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re the vanity projects of pharaohs, emperors and priest-kings.<\/p>\n<p>And the more things change, the more they stay the same.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/04\/us-news\/trump-holds-long-and-thorough-call-with-xi-jinping-amid-purge\/\">Chairman Xi Jinping<\/a> has secured an unconstitutional third term as supreme leader of the Chinese Communist Party. And he\u2019s doubled down on what he desires to be just one of his greatest legacies \u2013 a herculean monument to bureaucracy.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/11\/17\/world-news\/saudi-crown-prince-to-visit-white-house\/\">Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman<\/a> has been unexpectedly promoted to heir to the Saudi Arabian throne. His legacy is supposed to be an enormous Line in the sand \u2013 a glittering megacity in the desert.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Chairman Xi\u2019s vision is noble: to relieve the strain on the nation\u2019s capital, Beijing. <span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Their building projects are supposed to be big.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re supposed to be bold.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re supposed to be expressions of absolute power.<\/p>\n<p>All, however, are struggling.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s nothing new.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Xi\u2019s monument to management<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A week ago, the Great Navigator of the Chinese people took a tour of his personal dream.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>It\u2019s home to about 23 million people. But it\u2019s expensive. It\u2019s crowded. It\u2019s confusing. It\u2019s dilapidated. <span class=\"credit\">Xinhua\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s not a city.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an administration block.<\/p>\n<p>On an enormous scale.<\/p>\n<p>Chairman Xi\u2019s vision is noble: to relieve the strain on the nation\u2019s capital, Beijing.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s home to about 23 million people. But it\u2019s expensive. It\u2019s crowded. It\u2019s confusing. It\u2019s dilapidated.<\/p>\n<p>Beijing will remain China\u2019s seat of government.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Xiong\u2019an New Area is to be an effort of \u201cmillennial significance\u201d, Xi proclaimed. <span class=\"credit\">Youtube\/Chapman Taylor<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But an empty flood plain 100km to the southwest would become a new home for the millions of bureaucrats needed to keep the Communist Party\u2019s machinery turning.<\/p>\n<p>Xiong\u2019an New Area is to be an effort of \u201cmillennial significance\u201d, Xi proclaimed.<\/p>\n<p>Construction began in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Now Chairman Xi has seen how much progress has been made on his \u201csignature project\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Work is well behind schedule.<\/p>\n<p>And what has been completed is largely empty.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>He insists his decision to build Xiong\u2019an was \u201centirely correct\u201d, the Communist Party-controlled\u00a0Xinhua news service\u00a0reports. <span class=\"credit\">Youtube\/Chapman Taylor<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But what makes this $A842 billion ($318,905 USD) project different to dozens of other empty Chinese urban developments is that this one was Xi\u2019s idea.<\/p>\n<p>The Chairman last week dismissed doubts over his monument to managerialism.<\/p>\n<p>He insists his decision to build Xiong\u2019an was \u201centirely correct\u201d, the Communist Party-controlled\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/h.xinhuaxmt.com\/vh512\/share\/13019168?docid=13019168&amp;newstype=1001&amp;d=13525e3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Xinhua news service<\/a>\u00a0reports.<\/p>\n<p>He instructed a forum of developers and commissars to \u201cfurther emancipate the mind, broaden thinking, strengthen co-ordination, and pool efforts\u201d to \u201cstimulate the vitality of the new area by focusing on the rational aggregation of factors and resources\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>He ordered government and private enterprise to \u201cfirmly grasp the functional positioning\u201d of his new city, and to \u201cmaintain strategic focus and historical patience\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>End of the Line for MBS<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman\u2019s idea was incredible.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been unexpectedly promoted to heir to the Saudi Arabian throne. <span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A 160km-long solid line of skyscrapers spanning one of the world\u2019s harshest deserts. The walls were to be mirrored. Millions were to live in airconditioned comfort, with every possible convenience delivered digitally. Not to mention the soccer stadium and princely amenities.<\/p>\n<p>His Neom Line was a project of unprecedented scale.<\/p>\n<p>As was its price tag ($A2.2 trillion ($585,993,478,400 USD) \u2026 that\u2019s with a t).<\/p>\n<p>Construction work began in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>By 2024, a deep canyon had been cut into the desert (at a reported cost of thousands of lives). And some 20 per cent of the world\u2019s available steel was diverted towards the edifice\u2019s construction.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>His Neom Line was a project of unprecedented scale. <span class=\"credit\">via REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But oil prices were steadily falling. And Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman\u2019s sovereign wealth fund suddenly wasn\u2019t so wealthy.<\/p>\n<p>Changes had to be made.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, the 160km-long Line was cut to just 2.5km. Nor will it be 500 meters tall.<\/p>\n<p>Now, it won\u2019t even be a city.<\/p>\n<p>Reports in January suggest teams of architects have been tasked with figuring out how to repurpose what\u2019s already been built.<\/p>\n<p>But the Line isn\u2019t the only Saudi building project turned nightmare.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Last year, the 160km-long Line was cut to just 2.5km. Nor will it be 500 meters tall. <span class=\"credit\">via REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Mukaab cuboid was to be an enduring monument to the ruling family\u2019s power. But the enormous Riyadh skyscraper \u2013 so big that it was supposed to house another skyscraper within it \u2013 has also been abandoned.<\/p>\n<p>A comprehensive review of the Crown Prince\u2019s building projects is due to be completed within the next few weeks. Soaring oil prices due to the Iran war may have offered some hope, were it not for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Empires of Dust<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The pharaohs of Egypt were likely evicted from their eternal tombs by looters within a few decades. Chichen Itza\u2019s human sacrifices didn\u2019t save the priest-kings. The Taj Mahal didn\u2019t bring back Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>\u201cRiyadh\u2019s push for more AI leadership is a bet that the general-purpose technology could boost every sector of its diversifying economy,\u201d\u00a0Goldman Sachs analysts write. <span class=\"credit\">Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rome\u2019s Colosseum served as a hub for beer and circuses for more than 400 years. It was then converted to an apartment and workshop complex (and impromptu quarry) before being abandoned.<\/p>\n<p>The edifices of the 20th Century\u2019s authoritarians fared worse.<\/p>\n<p>Benito Mussolini wanted to build an entire new district for Rome as a neoclassical monument to his Fascist ideals. At its heart was to be an enormous white-marble \u201cSquare Colosseum\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>This inspired Adolf Hitler to hire architect Albert Speer to redesign Berlin as an imposing shrine to his Third Reich \u2013 including a massive domed hall to house 180,000 as a captive audience for his speeches.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>A comprehensive review of the Crown Prince\u2019s building projects is due to be completed within the next few weeks. <span class=\"credit\">Youtube\/Chapman Taylor<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Neither lived to enforce their dreams.<\/p>\n<p>Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is striving to salvage what he can.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cdata is the new oil\u201d mantra is proving to be correct. And he already has foundations in place.<\/p>\n<p>So The Line will now become an AI data centre.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRiyadh\u2019s push for more AI leadership is a bet that the general-purpose technology could boost every sector of its diversifying economy,\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/12\/03\/instrumental-capital-sovereign-wealth-funds-gulf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Goldman Sachs analysts write<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt has unique advantages not only due to its access to capital but also through a flexible regulatory environment and an abundance of affordable energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>An empty flood plain 100km to the southwest would become a new home for the millions of bureaucrats needed to keep the Communist Party\u2019s machinery turning. <span class=\"credit\">Youtube\/Chapman Taylor<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For Chairman Xi, the problem is alluvial soil.<\/p>\n<p>And ambition.<\/p>\n<p>Securing the foundations of Xiong\u2019an\u2019s monumental buildings and residential apartment blocks is proving more difficult than anticipated. The soil is soggy. Or solid. Depending on the seasonal floods.<\/p>\n<p>Getting universities, tech firms and entrepreneurs to set up shop is also slower than expected. That may be because only about 1.2 million people live in the area.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>\u201cCivil servants often view postings outside the capital as dead ends for their careers,\u201d Palmer writes. <span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cHowever sophisticated the new administrative centre might be, persuading officials to relocate may prove difficult,\u201d James Palmer writes for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/24\/china-xi-jinping-xiongan-beijing-capital-city-urban-planning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Foreign Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCivil servants often view postings outside the capital as dead ends for their careers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Jamie Seidel is a freelance writer<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/04\/world-news\/fresh-humiliation-for-chairman-xi-jinping-as-new-xiongan-megacity-stalls\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pyramid of Cheops. The Taj Mahal. Chichen Itza. The Colosseum. They\u2019re among the great wonders of the world. They\u2019re the vanity projects of pharaohs, emperors&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41136\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}