{"id":86945,"date":"2024-05-13T16:51:32","date_gmt":"2024-05-13T06:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=86945"},"modified":"2024-05-13T16:51:32","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T06:51:32","slug":"from-the-bookshelf-the-political-thought-of-xi-jinping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/from-the-bookshelf-the-political-thought-of-xi-jinping\/","title":{"rendered":"From the bookshelf: \u2018The Political Thought of Xi Jinping\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

At the Chinese Communist Party congress in October 2017, \u2018Xi Jinping thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era\u2019 was formally incorporated in the party constitution\u2014alongside Mao Zedong thought, Deng Xiaoping theory, Jiang Zemin\u2019s \u2018important thought on the three represents\u2019 and Hu Jintao\u2019s \u2018scientific outlook on development\u2019.<\/p>\n

In the CCP ideological hierarchy, \u2018thought\u2019 is at the top, followed by \u2018theory\u2019, while Jiang\u2019s \u2018three represents\u2019 and Hu\u2019s \u2018scientific outlook\u2019 are considered to be action manuals, lower on the scale. Labelling Xi\u2019s input to CCP ideology as \u2018thought\u2019 puts him on a par with Mao and ahead of Deng Xiaoping, at least in principle. But the length and clunkiness of the name of Xi\u2019s dogma, contrasting with the punchy title \u2018Mao Zedong thought\u2019, is generally seen to indicate that Xi is not yet in the same class as the great helmsman.<\/p>\n

Is this significant? To the casual reader, Xi Jinping\u2019s written works and speeches might simply seem like disjointed pronouncements presented in the heavy jargon of the CCP. But do they in fact form a coherent body of work intended to guide Chinese decision makers, party cadres and the population at large? And can they serve as a guide for outsiders wishing to understand and predict the actions of China\u2019s leaders?<\/p>\n

In the book The Political Thought of Xi Jinping<\/a>, Steve Tsang and Olivia Cheung think they do. The authors ambitiously tackle the task of making Xi Jinping\u2019s thought accessible to the general reader. Tsang has published widely on Chinese politics and is director of the China Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London, where Cheung is a research fellow. Together they have reviewed the vast body of work that has emerged in Xi\u2019s name during his decade in power.<\/p>\n

At the centre of Xi\u2019s thought lies the CCP, which in his view has been weakened over the years by factionalism, corruption and the separation of party from state instigated by Deng Xiaoping. Xi sees the state as subservient to the party, as simply the executor of party policies, and has systematically reversed Deng\u2019s political reforms and brought state organs firmly under party control.<\/p>\n

Xi\u2019s ideological mission is to reinvigorate the CCP and consolidate China as a party-state. He wants to make the party great again. Pursuing this theme, the authors devote an entire chapter to \u2018The party leads everything\u2019, detailing how Xi has shifted control of all major policy processes to the CCP and, ultimately, himself.<\/p>\n

The authors review policy decisions and specific actions in the context of Xi\u2019s concern to maintain control, from economic policy, diplomacy and fighting corruption to reining in the rival youth league faction led by his predecessor Hu Jintao and the late Li Keqiang. Even the central bank\u2019s recent monetary policy decisions appear to be driven by Xi Jinping thought<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When the tennis star Peng Shuai in 2021 went on the social media platform Weibo to accuse former deputy premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault<\/a>, many expected disciplinary action against Zhang. But censors quickly took down Peng\u2019s post, and she disappeared from view and later retracted the allegations and announced her early retirement. Zhang remained unscathed. The message was clear: the CCP could initiate disciplinary action against its members but would not entertain outside complaints.<\/p>\n

A fascinating chapter on the \u2018socialist market economy\u2019 should set off alarm bells in corporate boardrooms. Xi favours state-owned enterprises, is wary of the private sector and has implemented a raft of measures to extend party control into the decision-making bodies of private companies, local and foreign. According to the authors, Xi will support private enterprises \u2018only if they prove themselves totally loyal to the Party and willing to serve China\u2019s interests as defined by the Party or himself.\u2019 The star pupil in this regard is the technology giant Huawei, a cutting-edge but steadfastly loyal business.<\/p>\n

The chapter on a \u2018common destiny for humankind\u2019, again, bears careful reading by diplomats and defence specialists. As the authors see it, Xi\u2019s ultimate ambition is to restore the system of tianxia <\/em>(all under heaven), with China as the central power, surrounded by vassal states and operating in a global environment that poses no threat to authoritarianism. Under this Sinocentric world view, divide-and-rule politics, wolf-warrior diplomacy and assertive efforts to undermine the liberal rules-based order can be expected to continue, while peaceful resolution of China\u2019s claims on Taiwan seems unlikely.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the authors flag elements of hypocrisy. Xi\u2019s moves to stamp out corruption and factionalism were presented to the public as designed to reinvigorate the party. But equally clearly, they were intended to eliminate Xi\u2019s adversaries and rivals.<\/p>\n

Will Xi Jinping\u2019s dogma eventually shed its awkward title, be renamed \u2018Xi Jinping thought\u2019 and be proclaimed the state ideology? Since this would put the ambitious Xi unequivocally on a par with chairman Mao, the authors consider it likely. But so far party elders have kept Xi waiting. The issue will be high on China watchers\u2019 agenda during the 2027 party congress.<\/p>\n

The Political thought of Xi Jinping<\/em> is one of the first serious efforts to analyse Xi\u2019s political doctrine. As such, it is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the underpinnings of Xi\u2019s actions, or to make an informed guess at his next moves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the Chinese Communist Party congress in October 2017, \u2018Xi Jinping thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era\u2019 was formally incorporated in the party constitution\u2014alongside Mao Zedong thought, Deng Xiaoping theory, Jiang …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1230,"featured_media":86946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[52,2015,204],"class_list":["post-86945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-china","tag-domestic-politics","tag-xi-jinping"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFrom the bookshelf: \u2018The Political Thought of Xi Jinping\u2019 | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/from-the-bookshelf-the-political-thought-of-xi-jinping\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From the bookshelf: \u2018The Political Thought of Xi Jinping\u2019 | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At the Chinese Communist Party congress in October 2017, \u2018Xi Jinping thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era\u2019 was formally incorporated in the party constitution\u2014alongside Mao Zedong thought, Deng Xiaoping theory, Jiang ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/from-the-bookshelf-the-political-thought-of-xi-jinping\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-13T06:51:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GettyImages-2058029911.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"718\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Robert Wihtol\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Robert Wihtol\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\",\"name\":\"The Strategist\",\"description\":\"ASPI's analysis and commentary site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/from-the-bookshelf-the-political-thought-of-xi-jinping\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GettyImages-2058029911.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GettyImages-2058029911.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":718,\"caption\":\"BEIJING, CHINA - MARCH 4: Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the opening session of the CPPCC, or Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, at the Great Hall of the People on March 4, 2024 in Beijing, China. 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