As its title ‘Xi Jinping: China’s Third New Era’ suggests, the book covers the period mid-June 2017 till the end of 2020—a period when, Xi Jinping’s acolytes claim, China had already embarked on a third thirty-year era under his leadership, like those of Mao and Deng before him.
This period also saw an outpouring of criticism against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese President not witnessed since the Tiananmen Square events in 1989. The resentment was sparked by Xi Jinping abolishing tenure limits that govern the cadres’ terms in office as well as the mishandling of the initial stages of the Covid pandemic. It is also the period when Xi Jinping began using the country’s security apparatus to further consolidate his position and impose progressively restrictive controls on society. He followed through on his slogan: "party, government, military, civilian and academic; east, west, south, north and centre, the Party leads everything"!
The essays explore the modernisation of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA); Xi Jinping tightening his grip on members of the Politburo and the higher echelons of the Party; China’s policy on Tibet and Beijing’s efforts to negate the Dalai Lama’s influence inside China as well as abroad.
China’s attitude and posture towards India, which have undergone definite change since Xi Jinping adopted an aggressive foreign policy to achieve the "rejuvenation of the Chinese nation", have been covered at length. This includes the ongoing incursions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh since May 2020.
Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)
1. Xi Jinping Prepares to Lead China into New Thirty-Year Era
2. China’s Internal Situation before the 19th Party Congress: An Overview
3. China’s Internal Situation: Is Xi Jinping under Pressure
4. The China Dream
5. China: Path to Hi-Technology
6. China’s Maritime Challenge in the Indo-Pacific
7. Belt and Road Initiative and its Future Implications
8. China’s 19th Party Congress: New Leaders to Steer China to the China Dream
9. Initial Assessment of Xi Jinping’s Work Report at 19th Party Congress
10. Analysis of China’s 19th Party Congress
11. Distancing the PLA From Politics: Representatives in CCP Standing Committees
12. Initial Assessment of China’s CPPCC Plenary Session, 2019
13. A Brief Assessment of China’s 3rd Session of the 13th CPPCC, May 2020
14. An Assessment of the Second Plenum of China’s 13th National People’s Congress
15. An Assessment of the 13th Session of China’s 13th NPC, May 2020
16. China’s Military and the National People’s Congress
17. No Change in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Assertive Policies Despite Pressure
18. CCP CC’s 4th Plenum Could Suggest a Dilution in Xi Jinping’s Authority
19. Chinese President Xi Jinping Faces Difficult Times Ahead
20. Popular Protests Undermine Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Credibility
21. The COVID-19 Epidemic and China’s Economy
22. China’s Economic Revival will Face Serious Headwinds
23. Dissatisfaction with Chinese President Xi Jinping Mounts
24. Chinese President Xi Jinping Reacts to Inner Party Opposition
25. Xi Jinping Shores up Position to Fend off Opponents
26. Qiu Shi Calls for Protecting Xi Jinping as “Core” of the Whole Chinese Communist Party
27. Xi Jinping Launches ‘Yan’an Style’ Campaign to Cleanse China’s Security Apparatus
28. Xi Jinping’s Efforts to Consolidate Marxist Ideology among CCP Members to Counter US
29. China and the Post COVID-19 World
30. The US-China Trade War: A Strategic Move
31. The US-China Trade War: Fall-Out in China
32. China’s View of Ties with the US: Hints of Concessions?
33. China’s ‘Big Two’ have Domestic Discontent and US-China Tension as Backdrop: India Finds Mention in US-China Exchange
34. Chinese Researchers Suggest Modulation of China’s Policy Towards United States
35. Tension is High Within China’s Leadership Echelons as United States Maintains Unrelenting Pressure
36. Chinese Assessments of the International Situation
37. CICIR’s Assessment of China’s Major Country Diplomacy
38. China Debates Policy Towards US as Biden’s Administration Takes Over
39. China: Conference on Peripheral Diplomacy
40. Xi Jinping Launches Campaigns to Entrench the Chinese Communist Party Among the People
41. China’s 19th Party Congress Indicates No Change in China’s Policy Towards Tibet
42. Tibet has been Receiving Higher Priority in Recent Months
43. China Intensifies Efforts to Diminish Dalai Lama’s Influence
44. Tibet Autonomous Region’s Expenditure on Public Security
45. China’s Xiaokang (Well-Off) Border Defence Villages in Tibet Autonomous Region
46. China and US Could Emerge as Adversaries over the Tibet Issue
47. China’s Seventh Tibet Work Forum, August 29-30, 2020
48. China’s Third Central Xinjiang Work Conference
49. Inner-Party Differences on Hong Kong Issue Pose Problems for Xi Jinping
50. DPP’s Win in Taiwan Elections will have Repercussions
51. CPEC and Challenges for Pakistan
52. Brief Analysis of Chinese Propaganda During India-China Face-Off at Doklam, June 16-August 1, 2017
53. Different Facets of the Doklam Face-Off: An Overview
54. Composition and Implications of Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe’s Visit to India
55. Chinese State Councillor and Public Security Minister Zhao Kezhi’s Visit Yields Little Tangible Results
56. Can the Second Xi-Modi Summit Tackle the Really Difficult Issues
57. Implications of the Ongoing Tension with China Along the LAC
58. China Probably has a Larger Hidden Agenda
59. Chinese Thinking on the India-China Border Issue
60. China Appears to have Initiated a Phase of Deception along the LAC
61. Chinese Publication Asserts Aksai Chin is “Illegally Occupied by India”
62. An Authoritative Chinese Assessment of how China Views India
Biography
Jayadeva Ranade is President of the ‘Centre for China Analysis and Strategy’. He retired as Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India in August 2008 and is a former Member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB). He has over 45 years experienceanalysing developments relating to China, Tibet and East Asia. His foreign assignments include Hong Kong, Beijing and Washington DC.
