 He's thought to be the most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. He talks in a similar way about China being a great country, emphasising the communist part of the country, essentially going back on what has happened over the last few decades, the opening up to the outside world, being a bit practical, learning from the West. Xi Jinping seems to be harking back to the time of Mao, so I think that's why these stories are still important.