BEIJING—Less than 4 months back, Xi Jinping faced the greatest crisis of his management, as it was bruised by China’s original, bungled reaction to the coronavirus.

He has because pulled off an amazing turnaround, buoyed by Beijing’s claimed achievements in curbing the virus while the U.S. and quite a few other democracies wrestle with it. Mr. Xi has seized the moment to get ground in locations central to his “China Dream” of a strong unified nation, on par with—if not surpassing—the U.S., while brushing apart federal government shortcomings.

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