Willy Lam

This book analyzes Chinese politics, particularly the rule of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping, through an examination of the country’s political ideology.This book succinctly covers the DNA of Chinese politics through the philosophies of sages in China’s first liberalization period during the Warring States epoch, principally those of Confucius, Mencius, Lao Zi, Zhuang Zi, Shang Yang and Han Fei. With an appreciation of these traditional ideologies, this book displays how Chinese political philosophy (which incorporates elements of Confucianist and especially Legalist thinking) has influenced ideas and policies from as early as the Qin and Han dynasties through to the Qing dynasty and even to the current day. Highlighting the controversies revolving around the flowering and contention of beliefs and isms during China’s second liberalization in the Republican Period (1912-1949), this book reveals how and why this led to the repression of the CCP era under dictators ranging from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping.Revealing how Chinese political and philosophical legacies impact the development of ideology and policies of CCP leadership, this book will be a valuable resource to students and scholars of Chinese politics, Chinese history, and international relations.

This book analyzes Chinese politics, particularly the rule of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping, through an examination of the country’s political ideology.This book succinctly covers the DNA of Chinese politics through the philosophies of sages in China’s first liberalization period during the Warring States epoch, principally those of Confucius, Mencius, Lao Zi, Zhuang Zi, Shang Yang and Han Fei. With an appreciation of these traditional ideologies, this book displays how Chinese political philosophy (which incorporates elements of Confucianist and especially Legalist thinking) has influenced ideas and policies from as early as the Qin and Han dynasties through to the Qing dynasty and even to the current day. Highlighting the controversies revolving around the flowering and contention of beliefs and isms during China’s second liberalization in the Republican Period (1912-1949), this book reveals how and why this led to the repression of the CCP era under dictators ranging from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping.Revealing how Chinese political and philosophical legacies impact the development of ideology and policies of CCP leadership, this book will be a valuable resource to students and scholars of Chinese politics, Chinese history, and international relations.

This book examines the policy, ideology and politics of Xi Jinping, State President and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and China’s “ruler for life.”Through comparisons with former CCP leaders, including Deng Xiaoping, it assesses whether, having abandoned many of the key precepts of the Era of Reform and the Open Door, the conservative supreme leader’s restitution of Maoist standards might enable China to sustain economic growth and project hard and soft power worldwide. The book also examines whether the Communist Party will succeed in retaining the support of 1.4 billion Chinese in the face of unprecedented challenges in the economic and geopolitical arenas. It also provides a comprehensive picture of Xi’s rise to power; his AI-assisted and “legalistic” surveillance and control mechanisms; China’s evolving economic system; Xi’s foreign and national-security policies and the implications of the 20th Party Congress of October 2022 from both domestic and foreign perspectives.Being among the first books in English on the ambitious and multi-faceted agendas that Xi has laid out taking China up to the early 2040s, this will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of Chinese studies, China-US relations, East Asian politics and Contemporary Asian history.

This book examines the policy, ideology and politics of Xi Jinping, State President and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and China’s “ruler for life.”Through comparisons with former CCP leaders, including Deng Xiaoping, it assesses whether, having abandoned many of the key precepts of the Era of Reform and the Open Door, the conservative supreme leader’s restitution of Maoist standards might enable China to sustain economic growth and project hard and soft power worldwide. The book also examines whether the Communist Party will succeed in retaining the support of 1.4 billion Chinese in the face of unprecedented challenges in the economic and geopolitical arenas. It also provides a comprehensive picture of Xi’s rise to power; his AI-assisted and “legalistic” surveillance and control mechanisms; China’s evolving economic system; Xi’s foreign and national-security policies and the implications of the 20th Party Congress of October 2022 from both domestic and foreign perspectives.Being among the first books in English on the ambitious and multi-faceted agendas that Xi has laid out taking China up to the early 2040s, this will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of Chinese studies, China-US relations, East Asian politics and Contemporary Asian history.

Drawing on hundreds of interviews with top Chinese officials, parliamentarians, scholars, and businessmen, Willy Lam, a renowned journalist and writer on Chinese affairs, presents a first-hand, multi-dimensional account of twenty-first century China and the impact of fourth generation leaders, including President Hu Jinato and Premier Wen Jiabao. Lam goes behind the glitzy facade of nouveau-riche Beijing and Shanghai to examine how the Hu leadership has tried to extend the Communist Party's "mandate of heaven" by tackling an array of daunting problems: the weakening legitimacy of the Party's leadership; restive peasants; angry workers; political stagnation over the lack of reform; foreign relations difficulties; unreliable energy supplies; resurgent nationalism; and the increasingly dubious "Chinese model" of development. The author assesses possible contributions that the new classes of private businessmen, professionals, and intellectuals - as well as new ideas such as nationalism, globalization, and federalism - will make to economic prosperity and political liberalization. The book also includes a chapter on foreign policy, which contains an insightful account of Beijing's evolving and sometimes difficult relations with the United States, Europe, Japan, and other major countries and blocs, as well as the role of the People's Liberation Army.

Drawing on hundreds of interviews with top Chinese officials, parliamentarians, scholars, and businessmen, Willy Lam, a renowned journalist and writer on Chinese affairs, presents a first-hand, multi-dimensional account of twenty-first century China and the impact of fourth generation leaders, including President Hu Jinato and Premier Wen Jiabao. Lam goes behind the glitzy facade of nouveau-riche Beijing and Shanghai to examine how the Hu leadership has tried to extend the Communist Party's "mandate of heaven" by tackling an array of daunting problems: the weakening legitimacy of the Party's leadership; restive peasants; angry workers; political stagnation over the lack of reform; foreign relations difficulties; unreliable energy supplies; resurgent nationalism; and the increasingly dubious "Chinese model" of development. The author assesses possible contributions that the new classes of private businessmen, professionals, and intellectuals - as well as new ideas such as nationalism, globalization, and federalism - will make to economic prosperity and political liberalization. The book also includes a chapter on foreign policy, which contains an insightful account of Beijing's evolving and sometimes difficult relations with the United States, Europe, Japan, and other major countries and blocs, as well as the role of the People's Liberation Army.