Chinese President Xi Jinping is convinced that for his country to achieve the Chinese Dream and assume its rightful place on the global stage, the central role of the Chinese Communist Party and the importance of leadership from the top must be strengthened.
That flies in the face of those who believe Chinas future lies in greater openness and reform. David Shambaugh examines how Xis approach to leadership is moving China both forward and backward.
XI Jinping Is widely viewed as the strongest leader China has had since Deng Xiaoping or Chairman Mao Zedong. With greater gravitas than his immediate predecessors Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, Xi has put his stamp on the nation to a degree not seen since the days of Deng or Mao.
But just how impactful has Xi actually been? What does the balance sheet on his rule look like six years into a tenure that may be indefinite following his decision to remove term limits in march this year? What exactly has he accomplished? Where has he fallen short on promises or expectations? and, looking forward, where might China be headed under his rule?
THE VISION THING
Great leaders usually have grand visions. Xi has actually voiced his views on a wide variety of issues. In his 1,134-page, two-volume tome, The Governance of China, Xi has something to say on seemingly every subject. yet, his core vision for China, which resonates deeply with the Chinese people, is actually not at all new. like all Chinese leaders dating back to the Qing self-strengthening movement of the 1870s, Xi’s prime objective is to achieve what he describes as “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” He has rebranded this longstanding national mission as the “Chinese Dream,” but the quest is no different: for China to acquire the material attributes of a major international power and the commensurate respect from others. the legacy of the country’s former weakness and humiliation thus continues to deeply haunt Xi and his generation.
So too does the collapse of Communist Party rule in the former Soviet Union. now having ruled almost as long as their Soviet counterparts, Xi and his peers in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) live in regular trepidation of a similar meltdown.
Esta historia es de la edición September 2018 de Global Asia.
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Esta historia es de la edición September 2018 de Global Asia.
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