Are We Seeing the Emergence of a New Imperial China? Xi Jinping and the Third Revolution. | Elizabeth C. Economy

In Episode 43 of Hidden Forces, host Demetri Kofinas speaks with Elizabeth Economy about the emergence of a new imperial China and the rise of Xi Jingping. Elizabeth Economy is the C. V. Starr senior fellow and director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Economy is an acclaimed author and expert on Chinese domestic and foreign policy issues. She is the author of numerous books, the most recent of which is The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State, a wide-ranging exploration of the Chinese leader’s top political, economic, and foreign policy priorities and their implications for the rest of the world. Dr. Economy has published articles in foreign policy and scholarly journals including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and the Harvard Business Review; and op-eds in the New York Times and the Washington Post, among other newspapers and publications.

What is the history of reform in China between 1979 and 1989, and then again between Tiananmen and the recent consolidation of power and authority by Xi Jinping? Who is Xi Jingping and is there any Western (or Eastern) leader that we can compare him to in temperament, outlook, and reputation? What are some of the important steps Xi Jingping has taken in order to consolidate power and solidify his rule? How does the Chinese system of governance operate? What is the role of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE), and how does the Chinese government use targets as directives for economic growth? What are some investments or decisions that the Chinese government has made, particularly in recent years, that appear irrational or unprofitable by Western standards, but which serve a valuable purpose for the Chinese state? What are the long-term plans for the Yuan? Is China using its economic relationships and bilateral arrangements partly in order to lay the groundwork for the adoption of the Yuan as the next global currency? How important is the adoption of the Yuan as the international currency of choice for China’s leaders, and how much of a priority is this given the pressure it would put on opening up the country’s capital and foreign exchange markets? What are the implications of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and are Western countries high or low on it? How much of the BRI is a an opportunist response to American withdrawal from its post-WWII place at the center of international relations?

What is the origin of the Great Firewall and what was Fang Binxing’s role in its creation? How useful is the Internet today as a conduit for dissent relative to the 1990s and early 2000s? Has it only gotten worse? How effective are means of evading the wall? How effective has the Chinese state been in shutting down Virtual Private Networks and how significant is this development? What is the new social credit system and how does it operate? Do the Chinese put their identity as “Chinese” before their personal identities? If so, how are individuals in Western countries supposed to compete as individuals against a foreign state? How are Americans supposed to maintain their liberal values in a world where an illiberal state actor is using state capitalism to outcompete and outlast our own companies and initiatives?

These are just some of the questions adressed and answered in this wideranging discussion with Elizabeth Economy on Xi Jingping and the rise of a new imperial China.

Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas

Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou

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