What is it about?
‘Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era’ was incorporated into the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) constitution at its 19th Party Congress in October 2017. When Xi delivered his full report to that Congress he said: “China must hold high the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics for the new era … and work tirelessly to realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.” ‘Xi Jinping Thought’ has significant implications for China’s domestic policy and for the global community. But what exactly is ‘Xi Jinping Thought’? This article examines the guiding principles of Xi Thought, including domestic and international governance ramifications. Divided into six sections, the chapter draws upon (1) primary Chinese sources and (2) secondary sources – including both Chinese and western academic and media reports. Together these are used to examine the ‘realpolitik’ underlying the Dream. The theoretical framework for interpretation draws on political economy, international comparative law and legal narrative analysis.
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Why is it important?
Xi Thought is fundamental to any understanding of China's primary objectives going forward. As such it is important to world affairs - characterized by superpower 'strategic competition' and the directions of international governance more generally. At the Boao Forum in April 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the world it needed “justice, not hegemony, [that] China would never engage in an arms race or boss others around and meddling in others’ internal affairs will not get one any support.” Xi’s words are reproduced by China’s mass-media machine without question. Noting any ironies in official Chinese Communist Party narratives is not permissible domestically and, internationally, China has created a new national security law with extraterritorial scope. China’s public diplomacy has evolved “from listening to telling”. Against such a backdrop of narrative control and assertiveness, this chapter examines the realpolitik of Xi Thought.
Perspectives
I wrote this article through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the whole project was affected by covid - timing, interruptions, unavoidable delays. Since the actual time of writing the realpolitik, on all sides, has merely escalated. Let's hope we all see a peaceful landing.
John Garrick
Charles Darwin University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Realpolitik of Xi Jinping Thought, October 2024, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004691087_005.
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