For us, the state and its institutions and structures have always played an exceptionally important role in the life of the country and the people. For [citizens of X], a strong state is not an anomaly to fight against. Quite the contrary, it is the source and guarantor of order, the initiator and the main driving force of any change. . . . Society desires the restoration of the guiding and regulating role of the state.
Not China indeed but Russia - an excerpt from then Prime Minister Putin's 1999 'Millenium Manifesto.' This nationalinterest.org article is well worth reading in full as an exposition on the abiding power of history as the guiding principle of our political present and the ability of certain individuals to harness that power more effectively than their peers.
Hat-tip to The Browser.
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