A Closer Look at President Xi And the Future of China

What are the governing ideas of Chinas current leadership？ In which direction is China heading？ What is the basis of Chinas foreign policy？ Answers to all of these questions and more can be found in the book Xi Jinping： The Governance of China recently published by the Beijing-based Foreign Languages Press in a number of different languages.

This book is a compilation of the major works of Xi Jinping， General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC） and President of China， from November 2012 to June 2014. Comprising 79 speeches， interviews， instructions and correspondences structured across 18 chapters， it sheds light on the approach of Chinese leaders to the governance of the country. Excerpts of three book reviews follow：

C a i M i n g z h a o（Minister of the State Council Information Office）： In less than two years since Xi became Chinas top leader， he has taken the nation onto a new journey of reform， opening up and modernization. Readers will get a clear picture of the concepts and strategies of Chinas leadership， get a sense of the changes taking place in China， and come to see its peoples dreams and pursuits.

Xi has announced the Chinese dream of national renewal. The essence of the Chinese dream is to make the country prosperous and strong， rejuvenate the nation， and enable the people to lead happy lives. Also， in the age of globalization， the Chinese dream is connected to the dreams of people overseas and will benefit not only the people of China， but people in other countries as well.

In pursuing reforms， China has entered deep waters and is facing tough challenges. The book documents the courage and wisdom that Xi and his colleagues have demonstrated in overcoming difficulties. Xi stresses that reform and opening up play the decisive role in determining the destiny of China. He vows to take challenges head on and to brave the rapids to advance reforms.

Last year， China produced a bold reform roadmap， covering 15 sectors and involving 330 reform measures. Xis revelation of the objectives， tasks and methods for more comprehensive and deeper reforms allows readers to see the difficulties and complexities inherent in Chinas ongoing reform program. Much of the determination Xi has shown in tackling problems can be explained by his personal background. As a young man， he experienced the hardships of a rural life of hunger and scarcity. Later he went on to hold a number of jobs before becoming Chinas president. His experience has enhanced his understanding of national conditions and peoples expectations.

In recent decades， China has drastically improved its overall national strength and international standing. Not unexpectedly， many outside China hold an increasingly complicated attitude toward the countrys growth. The book devotes five chapters to addressing these concerns. Xi stresses that commitment to the path of peaceful development is Chinas strategic choice， and that such a policy is not an act of expedi- ency or empty diplomatic talk. Rather， it is a conclusion drawn from an objective assessment of Chinas history， present situation and future prospects. Since it benefits both China and the world， there is no reason why China should deviate from this path.

Xi is an excellent storyteller. His unique cultural background and rich life experience contribute to his simple， natural and vivid communication style. He says that“only the wearer of the shoes knows if they fit or not，” to illustrate his stance that only people themselves can tell if the development path they are on is suitable for them. In fighting corruption， he uses the metaphor of “catching tigers as well as flies”to convey his lack of tolerance for illegal conduct. While in Brussels， he mentioned that “Chinese people are fond of tea， and Belgians love beer，” to illustrate concepts of inclusiveness and mutual learning between different cultures.

Z h a n g W e i w e i（Director of the Center for China Development Model Research， Fudan University）： Over the past three decades， there have been various predictions， optimistic and pessimistic， about China. It is interesting that the pessimists have all been proved wrong， and the optimists have almost always been correct. Why？ Because the pessimists have misjudged the general trend of Chinas development.

What is this general trend？ Readers will find the answer in the book. It is as follows： to proceed from a goal of serving the longterm interests of the Chinese people， to continue reforms to a deeper level， to realize the Chinese dream， to modernize Chinas“national governance system and capability，”and to ensure the success of “socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

One important feature of Xis gover- nance is that he knows what the people think and want， and focuses on key points to benefit the whole situation and boost allround progress in China. This book shows readers the broad blueprint， drawn under Xis supervision， of reforms. This not only helps readers understand what reforms are ongoing in China， but also how the CPC makes decisions.

In the book， one will find many of Xis views on governance， including those on the relationships among reform， development and stability， among reforms of political， economic and social structures， between the Central Government and localities， and between domestic affairs and diplomatic relations. This will help readers understand the general trend of Chinas path to development and its underlying concepts.

Xi is a person who views the world from the standpoint of China， and China from a global perspective. Having visited almost 100 countries， he has gained a broad international vision that has given him a precise understanding of his countrys global orientation. He holds that China should make greater contributions to the worlds development， and that all countries in the world should form a “community of shared destiny.”

This book acquaints readers with Xis major views on relations between China and the rest of the world. For instance， he has raised a number of ideas on foreign policy based on traditional Chinese culture. One is his advocacy of neighborhood diplomacy characterized by “friendship， sincerity， reciprocity， and inclusiveness.” Another is his insistence that China takes a correct and more balanced approach to its obligations and interests in foreign relations. He has also made proposals such as building “a new model of major-country relationship” between China and the United States， the Silk Road Economic Belt， and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Sun Yeli （a research fellow with the Party Literature Research Office of the CPC Central Committee）： Due to profound changes in Chinas economic and social life and the evolution of the public mindset， people from different regions， social strata and fields of endeavor naturally do not think alike. Discord could undermine development， and therefore establishing consensus is a pressing need. To find consensus， the most important task is to identify a common goal. Since the 1840s， the Chinese people have striven toward and made sacrifices for one goal—the renewal of the Chinese nation. This dream resonates in every Chinese heart and has become the common aspiration of all the Chinese in and outside the country.

Reform represents a bridge to our dreams. The book presents Xis overall vision of reform， and the particularities of how it will impact on Chinas economy， politics， culture， society， ecology and national defense. China finds itself confronted by a series of challenges， such as unbalanced and unsustainable development， drawbacks in scientific and technological innovation， a sub-optimal industrial structure， rising social problems， gaps between rural and urban development， income disparities， and rampant corruption. If these problems are not solved， development will be hampered， and the Chinese dream will remain elusive.

Seven articles present Xis thinking and policy measures on improving government officials work conduct and combating corruption. Dozens of corrupt officials at the ministerial level or above have fallen from power， and serious cases are currently under investigation. Xi has vowed to have “power being ‘caged by the system，” underlining the need to construct a system to restrict the exercise of power and subject it to public scrutiny.