FCCC Talk: Xi Jinping: Political Career, Governance, and Leadership, 1953-2018

A new book by Alfred L. Chan

This book is the first comprehensive exploration of all episodes of Xi Jinping’s life history and his political career, begun at age 17. The author discusses all major issues including Xi’s legitimacy building, consolidation of power, ideological redefinition, party rectification, anti-corruption efforts, and control of dissent up until 2018. He explores reforms in the economy, social policy, the judiciary, military, and foreign relations in the same period. Xi’s political life mirrors the vicissitudes of the Maoist and reform eras, and sheds light on the regime’s hopes and fears, strengths and weaknesses, and the changing zeitgeist of the times.

About our speaker:  Alfred L. Chan is a Professor Emeritus at Huron University College, University of Western Ontario, Canada, and a Research Associate with the Asian Institute at the Munk Centre for Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto. A political scientist and a China expert, he has taught at Carleton University, McGill University, and Calgary University. He has published in leading international journals on China such as The China Quarterly, The China Journal, Studies on Contemporary China, and Pacific Affairs. He is also the author of Mao’s Crusade.