ABSTRACT

This book examines the policy, ideology and politics of Xi Jinping, State President and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and China’s “ruler for life.”

Through comparisons with former CCP leaders, including Deng Xiaoping, it assesses whether, having abandoned many of the key precepts of the Era of Reform and the Open Door, the conservative supreme leader’s restitution of Maoist standards might enable China to sustain economic growth and project hard and soft power worldwide. The book also examines whether the Communist Party will succeed in retaining the support of 1.4 billion Chinese in the face of unprecedented challenges in the economic and geopolitical arenas. It also provides a comprehensive picture of Xi’s rise to power; his AI-assisted and “legalistic” surveillance and control mechanisms; China’s evolving economic system; Xi’s foreign and national-security policies and the implications of the 20th Party Congress of October 2022 from both domestic and foreign perspectives.

Being among the first books in English on the ambitious and multi-faceted agendas that Xi has laid out taking China up to the early 2040s, this will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of Chinese studies, China-US relations, East Asian politics and Contemporary Asian history.

chapter 1|20 pages

Introduction

Retrogressions under Xi Jinping in Light of the Institutional Reforms of His Relatively Liberal Forebears

chapter 3|23 pages

Xi's Ideological Agenda

To Push Forward Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era

chapter 5|34 pages

Xi's Economic Agenda

Boosting Party Control over Business while Avoiding Decoupling from the International Marketplace

chapter 6|46 pages

Xi's Foreign Policy Agenda

China to Become Rule-Setter of the World

chapter 7|27 pages

Conclusion

The 20th Party Congress and Beyond: Xi Jinping Becomes “Leader for Life” but China Faces Unprecedented Challenges