Xi Jinping: The Backlash (Penguin Specials)

I'm not going to pretend I understand China or politics very well but I did live in China for 6 years and I did see first hand the lovely and also the dogmatic political side of the average Chinese citizen. If anyone who has ever dealt with Chinese can tell you is that there are many opinionated Chinese within China, especially within the Tier 1 cities. However when it comes down to it they generally believe the propaganda that they watch on television despite the fact that so many are well travelled and communicate with foreigners for business on a frequent basis if they work in any import or export capacity. Many Chinese who don't deal with foreigners directly, especially Americans, tend to admire our soft power but don't really trust any foreigner at all. Sometimes they would ask me "Why does America attack other countries?" and this is a completely valid question to ask because I've asked myself that question to. I explain that nation states like the United States will always try, like any other country, to have an influence in areas it deems necessary. Latin America is a prime example of this. However with the average Chinese they like that I can be honest about my country but they cannot handle criticism about their own country very easily. They believe themselves to be so peaceful and yet they don't realize the technological theft, the bullying of nearby nation states and the dangers of trying to force the world to recognize their self assessed superiority. This book struck me at how accurate it measured the sentiment of the average Chinese person and it rang true to me. I think the Chinese are a marvelous people but I do wish they didn't think themselves blameless and victimized all the time because they tend to cherry pick their good deeds when it comes to their history. I think the Chinese feel defensive because they've been told since childhood that fierce nationalism coupled with pride is at the forefront of their personal strength. Even if they don't really believe this, it still affects them. I think many Chinese honestly believe what the propaganda states because its familiar but as the Hong Kong protests, the Xinjiang situation, the Taiwan issue and the state sponsored theft of intellectual property, their claims in the South China sea start to be questioned more and more not just by western nations but by the world as a whole, the Chinese will have to reevaluate the course in which they take. They can believe that they can just close off the world while still engage with it in trade, which would not really be practical or they can realize that a change in their government will be necessary so that not only can they continue to prosper but also be allowed a more lenient form of expression so that they aren't afraid of being jailed or castigated for disagreeing over issues that need to be talked about such as the ones that I mentioned before. I don't regret ever having lived in China and had nationalist sentiment in China not started to grow increasingly aggressive my wife and I would have stayed. Unfortunately for me, being Hispanic American and married to a woman from the country of Georgia, I came back to the United States to a President who riles up nationalistic fervor as well as racial and economic lines of thought as well. My wife wants to be a citizen but who knows how that will turn out (She has the green card, finally) and apparently I descend from "criminal and thief" according to the current president. The Chinese have pride which needs to be taken down a notch ("China is a peaceful harmonious country" and the Americans have a racial historical past which they've put off for too long ("Racism doesn't exist anymore and minorities are lazy and don't appreciate what they have") and both have a reckoning coming to them whether they like it or not. This book really makes me think about both countries because not only did live in both of them but because they are dear to my heart too.

Richard McGregor tackles the opaque subject of the personality and policies of Xi Jinping in this latest short work. The Backlash takes a look at the direction of politics in China under Xi as well as the consolidation of power that has been the most aggressive seen since Mao. The author discusses the implicit vision Xi has for China and more importantly the Party as well as the internal stresses it has creating that will persist. To better understand the dynamics of power in China, Richard McGregor yet again writes an insightful book and the timing is good given the continued fissures with the US administration.The Backlash is a concise book which dissects the Party evolution under Xi's leadership. The author starts historically and discusses at the time of the handover there was an optimism about the direction Xi was considered to be taking the country, opening up further and liberalizing its market economies. The clampdown on corruption was potentially considered a cleansing of a partially corrupted institution and a required reset for the Party and the broad perception was of a China continuing to reform. The initial impression quickly turned out to be wrong, the Party cleansing was partially a cleansing but definitively a consolidation of power. Fiefdom's were destroyed and political power was re-aligned to have Xi completely central to policy making. He reoriented politics away from consensus and toward his own more dictatorial desire. The primacy of the party became the direction of reform and the dogma turned not to need for greater efficiency but of centralization of control. The book describes how Xi targeted high level political actors and cut them to size, creating enemies and an atmosphere of fear. The law was reoriented away from the court system and back towards the Party which was the ultimate adjudicator and the source of all law. The legal system under Xi has reverted from a broadening court system to a Party centered one where justice was a political consideration not an abstract scale. The author also discusses how under more recent policy initiatives entrepreneurial capitalism is considered an activity that is allowed by the state and therefore entrepreneurs owe their allegiance to the Party. Things like Huawei's potential obligation to divulge its data to the government if asked would be a manifestation of this.The direction Xi has been taking China is an accelerated sharp elbows approach to regaining his view of China's appropriate place on the world stage- second to none. This is understandable and to some extent very expected given history as a guide. China's re-emergence as a formidable world power was never going to be frictionless and Xi has taken steps that imply he will be the one to fulfill China's destiny which needs a strong leader and strong Party. The author discusses how this approach is creating increasing tensions which is causing him to lose control and lose consensus and as such feedback mechanisms are now at work. It seems likely that China will soften on taking on as many battles as it is and focus on where its priorities truly lie rather than a win on all fronts approach. The author brings home that Xi has a strong will and a strong mind of China's destiny and his place in taking it there, but at the same time that the final destination is not a clear path and more compromise will be required in the coming years.

This is more a paper than a book size wise, but it does offer an interesting informed perspective on the economic and political forces surrounding Xi Jingping. It has given me much to think about, though many of the points made will already be familiar to those who read the press. What this paper does is bring it all together in an easy to read and comprehend way.It is worth a read.

An excellent analysis of the political issues surrounding President Xi Jinping, and why his position may not be as secure as it is commonly perceived.

Succinct, precise and informative

Great analysis of current China. Easy read

Fantastic book providing great insights to the rise and potential fall of Xi