INSIGHTS | Hot take: China’s latest coming out party

TechNode was off last week for the National Day “golden week” holiday, but this year’s October holiday is special.

As is traditional, October 1st saw an hours-long celebration in Beijing, including speeches and an amazing display of military hardware. In the lead-up, citizens of Beijing were given many hints of what was to come with regular road closures and the constant buzz helicopters and jet airplanes.

This year was the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The last “big ten” (i.e., 60th) anniversary was in 2009, under Hu Jintao, a leader who never quite got out from under his predecessor’s shadow. This anniversary is Xi Jinping’s first as President of China, Chairman of the Communist Party of China, and one of the most powerful leaders China has seen.

Indeed, during both the run-up and actual celebration, the message was clear: China is a