1st Edition

The Fight for China's Future Civil Society vs. the Chinese Communist Party

By Willy Wo-Lap Lam Copyright 2020
    246 Pages
    by Routledge

    246 Pages
    by Routledge

    The Fight for China’s Future throws light on the quintessence of 21st century Chinese politics through the prism of the struggle between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and China’s vibrant intelligentsia and civil society.

    This book examines Xi Jinping’s 24-hour, multi-dimensional, AI-enabled police-state apparatus and explores the CCP’s policy towards civil society. Through exclusive interviews with activists from different provinces, it analyzes the experiences and aspirations of key stakeholders in Chinese society, especially intellectuals, human rights attorneys and Christian worshippers. Providing an examination of recent global trends in relation to CCP policies, including China’s relationship with the U.S., it also goes on to explore the possible trajectories of future change.

    Featuring an assessment of Xi Jinping’s leadership style and the opportunities this has given certain groups to promote the rule of law, media freedom and other global norms, this book will be invaluable to students of Chinese politics, society and culture.

    List of abbreviations

    1. Introduction: The Civil Society versus Xi Jinping’s Police-State Apparatus 

    2. Contributions of Intellectuals: Emancipating the Mind in the Midst of Ruthless Suppression 

    3. Human Rights Lawyers’ Struggle against Xi Jinping’s "Socialist Rule by Law" 

    4. A New Awakening for China’s Oppressed Christians 

    5. How the China–U.S. Cold War Opens up Opportunities for the Civil Society

    Index

    Biography

    Willy Wo-Lap Lam is Adjunct Professor at the Center for China Studies and the Department of History, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. He is the author of Chinese Politics in the Era of Xi Jinping (Routledge, 2015) and the editor of Routledge Handbook of the Chinese Communist Party (2018).

    Willy Lam’s The Fight for China’s Future presents a sobering picture of China in the era of Xi Jinjing where the forces of enlightenment are locked in an existential struggle with the rule of fear. Its deep insights and analysis illuminate the dynamics animating Chinese politics today.

    Minxin Pei, Claremont McKenna College

    Willy Lam is a master of Chinese political analysis. His writings about China under Xi Jinping, including predictions about future socio-political developments, are always informative, penetrating and insightful.   

    Akio Takahara, Dean and Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, Tokyo University 

    In a profoundly moving and uniquely insightful account of how Supreme Commander Xi Jinping has imposed Mao-like neo-totalitarian horrors on the Chinese people, including a global backlash against imperial over-reach by the CCP state, Willy Lam finds a possible ray of light for a better future in the quests of many tens of millions of Chinese to live with basic human dignities. A must read.

    Edward Friedman, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison