Xi Jinping's misguided plan to escape economic stagnation

> Young people should be less pampered and willing to “eat bitterness”, [Xi] said last year.

I believe this is probably a reference to 臥薪嚐膽 and would therefore be an "irregular conjugation" of the translation; if the Economist were writing about someone of whom they approve (Mr. Milei?) they'd phrase it as:

"Young people should be less reliant on entitlements and willing to make investments in structural reforms, he said last year."