Commentary On May 31, the 25-member Politburo, comprised of the highest-ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials, held a “study session” summoned by Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The main topic was about strengthening China’s international propaganda and renowned scholar Zhang Weiwei was invited to give a speech. Xi emphasized the importance of “telling the China story well” and building a more “lovable” image. So why is Zhang useful in this regard? Zhang is the director of the China Institute of Fudan University and a leading political scholar on promoting the Chinese regime’s model of development, its ideology, and narratives, according to the China Institute website. Zhang is popular in China—he has been invited as a keynote speaker at high-level government meetings on various occasions, owns his own video channels, and has published several books. Zhang’s recent appearance at the Politburo meeting could also indicate that the CCP seeks to strengthen its internal …