François Bougnon
(2018), Inside the Mind of Xi Jinping, Cntxt, pp. 181
The rise of the Chinese President Xi Jinping is also
about the rise of China and what it stands for today. The era of Xi (named after
the fashion of giving generational titles to Chinese political leaders such as
Mao and Deng) is remarkable for its unique combination of the old and the new. Harnessing Mao’s teaching and a thousand-year old
traditional culture, Xi’s ‘neoauthoritarianism’ is a school of thought shaping contemporary
China with its emphasis on a strong state, the plank of anti-corruption and relaxed
confidence in the ‘Chinese dream’.
Building a Chinese Dream
Xi has been able to articulate a vision of market
economy with socialistic characteristics for China. This image of economic
development encompasses attaining material needs for a better life along with
pride in one’s country and culture. A careful pantheon of historical ideas has
been chosen to represent this ideal. For example, legalism, a belief that
advocates the use of law, governance and authority to modify the behaviour of
people is widely admired for its efficiency as an institutional approach.
Additionally, the rising inequality in China also requires a discourse that
includes all classes in the Chinese dream. This is done by controlling the
domestic media through party discipline while harnessing foreign media to
propagate narratives about China to a wider audience. Furthermore, the celebration
of Chinese grown technology firms such as Ali Baba, Xiaomi, Baidu and Huawei
stand for pride in the Chinese capacity to find alternatives suitable for its
own needs and temperament.
Along with the political transformation, Xi is also leaving
behind an impressive personal legacy. After Mao, he is the only leader to have
his name added in the Chinese Constitution. More recently, he gave himself an
unlimited Presidential term. Although he writes a great deal about his thoughts
on China, he rarely gives interview to the Western media, managing a persona of
enigma.
To me, this book stands out for many reasons. First,
it is concise and succinct in its analysis. Bougnon, the former Le Monde
correspondent in Beijing, uses his journalistic experience to provide a well-researched
background story and generously archives Francophile scholarly research on China.
This is a valuable addition to the recent works published by writers working
predominantly in English. An engaging political read for our times!
