Key generals have attacked Xi Jinping for squandering China's big chance. They say his tactics have ruined their chances of world domination.
One man. One party. One country of 1.4 billion people. Little wonder Chairman-for-life Xi Jinping is worried about maintaining absolute authority.
To do so, he's painted a nationalistic picture of China's future. It's as good as – if not greater – than at any point in its 2000-year history.
Now, he has to deliver. That's not proving so easy.
Floods. Insects. Famine. COVID-19. All are affecting food supplies and prices.
Xi quickly fell back on the tried-and-tested fallback position for most embattled authoritarian leaders: extol the nation's greatness, it's glorious history, it's manifest destiny – and blame everybody else for its woes.
But the world isn't cowering in the face of such 'wolf warrior' diplomacy as expected.
They're biting back.
Australia. Britain. Canada. India. Japan. Vietnam. All have stood firm in the face of extraordinary Chinese threats and intimidation. And, for Chairman Xi, that's humiliating.
Now rumbles are beginning within his halls of power. Has Xi squandered China's great chance to take its rightful place on the world stage? Instead of backing down in the face of threatened economic sanctions, Canberra has hardened its insistence upon the rule of international law over the East and South China Seas.
Even Somalia has taken a stand. Chinese ambassador Qin Jian reportedly attempted a 'wolf-warrior' tack in recent talks with President Muse Bihi. He was given "marching orders", and Somalia's government initiated diplomatic contact with Taiwan.
Retired Major General Qiao Liang and a serving PLA Air Force Senior Colonel Dai Xu are two prominent voices sounding a note of discord in Beijing in recent weeks.
Qiao is one of the founders of China's modern military doctrine after publishing his book Unrestricted Warfare in 1999.
He's dared to contradict Chairman Xi's aggressive threats to take control of neighbouring Taiwan by force.
"China's ultimate goal is not the reunification of Taiwan, but to achieve the dream of national rejuvenation so that all 1.4 billion Chinese can have a good life," he said in a recent interview. "Could it be achieved by taking Taiwan back? Of course not."
Senior Colonel Dai was even blunter about the potential cost of a cold war with the US in an essay entitled: 2020, Four Unexpected Things and Ten New Understandings About the United States.
"The US would be so tough, imposing stacked tariff increases of 30 billion, 50 billion and then 200 billion," he writes. "Remember: the 30 billion in tariffs imposed on you will bring an effect of 60 billion, 90 billion, or more. This is where Imperial America is truly powerful. We must be rational instead of angry and fight wisely."
Beijing is rapidly losing what friends it has.
"China has provided assistance to so many countries, benefiting them in so many ways, but at this critical moment, none of them has taken any unified action with China," Colonel Dai bemoans.
This fallout is also severely affecting many key Chinese corporations with strong ties to the military's leadership. Alibaba, Huawei and Tencent are just the most prominent names facing an intense international backlash.
Their financial losses will be felt personally by many PLA generals.
And unhappy generals make for uneasy authoritarian leaders.
