In China, Xi Is Supreme

In the six months since he took over as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Xi Jinping has accumulated more power and more personal authority than any Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) whom Xi often quotes. Even Deng Xiaoping had to contend with a […]

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The Post-Democratic Future Begins in China

In November 2012, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held its 18th National Congress, setting in motion a once-in-a-decade transfer of power to a new generation of leaders. As expected, Xi Jinping took over as general secretary and will become the president of the People’s Republic this March. The turnover was a smooth and well-orchestrated demonstration […]

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5 Ways China Could Become a Democracy

Speculating about China’s possible political futures is an intellectual activity that intrigues some and puzzles many.  The conventional wisdom is that the entrenched Chinese Communist Party (CCP), so determined to defend and perpetuate its political monopoly, has the means to survive for an extended period (though not forever).  A minority view, however, holds that the CCP’s days […]

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Caught Between Two Giants, Taiwan Anxiously Watches U.S. and Chinese Leadership

It was an interesting November for spectators on the island of Taiwan. Taiwan’s media has been paying close attention to the results of the U.S. presidential election and the recently-concluded 18th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Taiwan is awkwardly positioned between two giants, having close relations with the U.S. and an undetermined political […]

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