The Political Thought Of Xi Jinping

An authoritative examination of "Xi Jinping Thought"--now the official dogma of the Chinese Communist Party--that marshals Xi's personal words and writings to reveal his plan to make "the China Dream of national rejuvenation" a reality in the coming decades. Over the course of the last half dozen years, China's supreme leader Xi Jinping has made extraordinary changes which have profound implications not only for the Chinese people but nations throughout the world. Given how swiftly and fundamentally China's relations with the rest of the world are changing under Xi's rule, it is imperative that we know what Xi Jinping Thought is, how it evolved, and why it is so important. In The Political Thought of Xi Jinping, Steve Tsang and Olivia Cheung provide an authoritative overview of what "Xi Jinping Thought" is and is not and what it means for both China and the world. Xi, now effectively leader for life, has worked to ensure that "Xi Jinping Thought" becomes cemented as the new state ideology. Clearly inspired by the doctrine of "Mao Zedong Thought," which shaped the parameters of acceptable thinking for a quarter century, Xi wants his doctrine to define what he calls the "China Dream of national rejuvenation" and serve the pathway to its fulfilment by 2050. As Xi conceives it, the China Dream is about making China great again, or restoring China to the height of its power, influence, and international standing in the mythical era of grandeur in its long imperial history. Drawing from original research of Xi's speeches, writings, and policies, Tsang and Cheung conceptualize Xi's vision independently from interpretations provided by the Chinese Communist Party or other sources. They further examine and explain how Xi seeks to transform this vision into reality. An authoritative analysis of the leader-driven ideological revolution that is currently transforming China, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in where China might be headed in coming years.

"The 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held in October 2022 was a historic occasion. It marked the start of Xi Jinping's third term as the top leader of China, and ended the post-Mao convention that the top leader retires after serving two terms of five years each. For all intents and purposes, it was also the beginning of Xi's time as leader for life, a development not supposed to recur after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. It was not meant to be historic in other ways. The meeting took place in Beijing in line with long-standing practices with all the post-Mao institutions and rules in place. It was reassuringly dull and predictable until the last day"--

THE THOUGHTS OF XI JINPING, the Marxism of the 21 st century, answers mainly the following two questions: 1. What kind of new country do the 1.4 billion people in China want to build in the 21 st century? They want to build a global first and a model country which will surpass the United States. 2. What kind of new world do the 7 billion people in the world want to build in the 21 st century? They want to build a civilized and a democratic world which will discard hegemony. The Thoughts of Xi Jinping are shaping China and are leading the world. If one doesn’t understand The Thoughts of Xi Jinping, he cannot understand the future of China and the world.

This book analyses the ideology that China's leader Xi Jinping has crafted during his decade in power. China’s political system and domestic and foreign policies have, between 2012 and 2022, become more defined by the political thought of Xi Jinping, the most powerful leader of the Chinese Communist Party since the time of Mao Zedong. Today, Xi’s China is embroiled in superpower rivalry with the United States and its allies. Therefore, ongoing ideological transformation in the People’s Republic is destined to have global repercussions. Yet surprisingly, the ideological mission of Xi Jinping is poorly understood. Based on analysis of Xi Jinping’s collected speeches, the book argues that China’s new state ideology is constructed around the three key concepts of loyalty, discipline, and greatness. Xi’s mission is about ideological re-orientation and re-activation, as well as organizational innovation, seeking to frame China’s “national self” as a collective unit under one political banner and one leader. However, despite the monumental Party-state effort to boost the new ideology and state-scripted “moral careers”, the book contends that Xi Jinping cannot take for granted that political and patriotic loyalty will forever trump the formation of “disloyal moral careers” in society.

Chinese politics are at a crossroads as President Xi Jinping amasses personal power and tests the constraints of collective leadership. In the years since he became general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012, Xi Jinping has surprised many people in China and around the world with his bold anti-corruption campaign and his aggressive consolidation of power. Given these new developments, we must rethink how we analyze Chinese politics—an urgent task as China now has more influence on the global economy and regional security than at any other time in modern history. Chinese Politics in the Xi Jinping Era examines how the structure and dynamics of party leadership have evolved since the late 1990s and argues that "inner-party democracy"—the concept of collective leadership that emphasizes deal making based on accepted rules and norms—may pave the way for greater transformation within China's political system. Xi's legacy will largely depend on whether he encourages or obstructs this trend of political institutionalization in the governance of the world's most populous and increasingly pluralistic country. Cheng Li also addresses the recruitment and composition of the political elite, a central concern in Chinese politics. China analysts will benefit from the meticulously detailed biographical information of the 376 members of the 18th Central Committee, including tables and charts detailing their family background, education, occupation, career patterns, and mentor-patron ties.

During the cultural revolution, Xi Jinping was sent to a juvenile detention center for group fighting in the street. During this time, Xi Jinping was a marginalized member of society, with no one to turn to and no one to depend on. He was lice infested and was not well mentally or physically. Xi Jinping's experience at the bottom was similar to that of Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng, who was sent to Zhao as a hostage, suffering humiliation and hardship. He not only tasted the bitter fruits of the Party struggle, but also dimly realized the philosophy of the Party struggle —— the loser is the prisoner, the winner is the emperor —— such a political philosophy began to germinate in his mind, and eventually developed into his thicket of political struggle. Xi Jinping is a mystery. It is a mystery that he came to power; it is a mystery that he has tossed China into internal and external trouble for nine years and it is an even bigger mystery how he will step down in the future. It is not easy to say what Xi Jinping wants to do because his governing style is not quite like Mao Zedong's and not quite like Deng Xiaoping's. In fact, Xi's ambitions have far exceeded those of Mao and Deng but his prestige, knowledge and abilities are far less than those of Mao and Deng. Xi Jinping is caught between Mao and Deng and is himself a contradiction.

Written by a team of leading China specialists, this updated 2nd edition of Chinese Politics explores the dynamics of state power and politics in contemporary China, focusing on the Xi Jinping era. Through its multi-disciplinary contributions, this book explores the extent to which Xi has reshaped the political, economic, socio-cultural, and demographic terrains of the PRC, as well as Beijing’s foreign policy. The book will help readers to think productively about the trajectory of these aspects of Chinese politics and society through Xi’s current term and beyond. The book also highlights the potential role outside countries and non-state actors might play in shaping China’s trajectory as the PRC’s economic rise may be stalling. Through each exploration of these issues, the book addresses the central question of what The Xi Jinping Difference has been, and will likely continue to be, in Chinese politics. Key subjects covered in this new edition include: Law and the political system Socialization of youth The fate of the private sector Technology and digital authoritarianism The Belt and Road Initiative Population aging Chinese Politics continues to be an essential textbook for all students of contemporary China as well as scholars interested in the dynamics of political and social change.

Renowned for his coverage of China's elite politics and leadership transitions, veteran Sinologist Willy Lam has produced the first book-length study in English of the rise of Xi Jinping--General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since November 2012. With rare insight, Lam describes Xi's personal history and his fascination with quasi-Maoist values, the factional politics through which he ascended, the configuration of power of the Fifth-Generation leadership, and the country's likely future directions under the charismatic "princeling." Despite an undistinguished career as a provincial administrator, Xi has rapidly amassed more power than his predecessors. He has overawed his rivals and shaken up the party-state hierarchy by launching large-scale anti-corruption and rectification campaigns. With a strong power base in the People's Liberation Army and a vision of China as an "awakening lion," Xi has been flexing China's military muscle in sovereignty rows with countries including Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines while trying to undermine the influence of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. While Xi is still fine-tuning his art of governance, his zero tolerance for dissent and his preoccupation with upholding the privileges of the "red aristocracy" and the CCP's status as "perennial ruling party" do not bode well for economic, political, or cultural reforms. Lam takes a close look at Xi's ideological and political profile and considers how his conservative outlook might shape what the new strongman calls "the Great Renaissance of the Chinese race."