Chinese Politics and Foreign Policy under Xi Jinping

This book focuses on China’s future under Xi Jinping’s authoritarian leadership by examining various facets of the political, economic, social and foreign policy trajectories of contemporary China. It assesses Xi Jinping’s power dynamic as the ‘core’ leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and analyses the impact of Xi’s signature domestic policies which demonstrate his political authority within the domestic sphere. Moreover, the book presents Xi’s pro-active, assertive and action-oriented outlook as a foundation for China’s diplomacy in the ‘new era’. Bringing together an international set of experts in the field who explore critical facets of China under Xi Jinping that deeply influence the regional as well as the global order, the book investigates the impact of Chinese initiatives such as the grand Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB). Importantly, the book illustrates US-China relations and outlines how this relationship will intensify in the post-COVID-19 era, which is poised to be one of the biggest challenges and turning points of the ‘Asian Century’. Offering a timely insight into China’s future and the trajectory of Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power, this book will be of interest to academics in the fields of China Studies, Asian and International Politics and International Relations.

"Chinese Politics and Foreign Policy under Xi Jinping brings together an impressive collection of studies, each investigating a topic of crucial importance to the future of the PRC. The book also addresses important questions regarding China’s future in a post COVID-19 world, both at home and abroad. As the Xi Jinping era continues to unfold, this timely and informative collection will be a valuable asset to causal readers, students and scholars, and members of the policy community alike."Jeffrey Becker, Director, Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Program, China & Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Division, Centre for Naval Analysis, USA. "Important scholarship to understand Xi Jinping’s "new era", his agenda to change China and its strategic position in the world, and how his personal leadership has made a difference on China’s domestic and international policies."Mathieu Duchatel, Director of Asia Program, Institut Montaigne, Paris."Since taking China’s leadership in the fall of 2012, Xi Jinping has significantly revised the Chinese political system and changed the direction of various policy domains. These developments have deviated from the direction set by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980S. What have changed and what are the implications of these changes are issues that have attracted worldwide attention. Dr. Arthur Ding and Dr. Jagannath Panda have assembled an excellent group of analysts to comprehensively examine these issues. This is a timely and comprehensive contribution to these topics. This volume should be an essential reading for those interested in politics and foreign policy of contemporary China."Chien-wen Kou, Distinguished Professor, Department of Political Science and Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies, and Director of Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University, Taipei. "Xi Jinping is increasingly compared to Mao Zedong, and there is every indication he has as much power as the PRC’s founding father. Deng Xiaoping, the leader most associated with opening up the PRC, famously said "it doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice". As this superb and timely volume shows, the PRC is now ruled by a leader who does care if the cat is black or white. This excellent volume edited by Arthur S. Ding and Jagannath P. Panda rightfully put Xi at the center of the changes – for better and for worse – that are taking place in the PRC and should be required reading for those seeking to understand the country’s current trajectory."John Hemmings, Associate Professor, Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu.

Arthur S. Ding is a Professor Emeritus of National Chenghi University (NCCU), Taiwan, and an adjunct professor at NCCU and Taiwan’s National Defense University. Jagannath P. Panda is a Research Fellow and Centre Head for East Asia at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi, India. He is also the Series Editor of Routledge Studies on Think Asia. His recent books include The Korean Peninsula and Indo-Pacific Power Politics: Status Security at Stake (Routledge, 2020) and India-China Relations: Politics of Resources, Identity and Authority in a Multipolar World Order (Routledge, 2017).