ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the continuity between Xi's policies and those established by his predecessors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, the extent to which Xi's initiatives are a new direction, and what they tell us about the CCP's current hold on power. It examines the changes in media control under Xi Jinping in the context of the CCP's longstanding media policies and efforts to strengthen governance of the public sphere. The General Secretary of the CCP is the key figure within the Chinese political system who sets the ideological line and propaganda policies. In November 2002, at the 16th Congress of the CCP, Hu Jintao was appointed as the new General Secretary of the CCP and at the National People's Congress three months later he was also made PRC President. A noticeable feature of the new leadership team after the 18th Party Congress was the strong presence of Jiang associates all throughout the senior levels of the propaganda system.
