WSCRC

Washington State China Relations Council

  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • Mission and History
    • Board of Directors & Staff
    • Washington State China Relations Fund
  • MEMBERSHIP
    • Membership Levels
    • Member Directory
    • Member Spotlight
  • EVENTS & PROGRAMS
    • Events Calendar
    • Recent News
    • Videos & Webinars

May 17 2018

Lifelong Leadership: Assessing President Xi Jinping’s Power Consolidation

On May 14, 2018, WSCRC welcomed Dr. Victor Shih to this year’s fourth installment of the Policy Briefing Series. Shih is an associate professor of political economy at the University of California, San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. Following up on his November 2017 briefing which assessed outcomes of China’s 19th Party Congress, Dr. Shih provided insight into implications of President Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power.

In March 2018, China’s state constitution was officially amended, making it illegal for Xi to be voted out of office. “Everything points to Xi serving for life,” Shih explained, and with many of Xi’s Zhejiang “clique” being promoted to the Politburo, Xi will “dominate the Politburo Standing Committee in the near future,” with a few more key promotions.

Though Xi initially lost followers subsequent to the anti-corruption campaigns of his first term, the outcomes of the 19th Party Congress proved that his shrewd strategic planning and positioning were ultimately successful. “Xi has been able to concentrate a lot of power in his hands,” Shih continued. This consolidation of power is demonstrated clearly in the immense restructuring of the central government’s ministerial system into a series of CCP commissions which will assert greater control over every policy area at the central, provincial, and local levels and most of which are helmed by Xi himself.

Xi’s tremendous consolidation of power also carries implications for the current US-China trade dispute. “Because of Xi’s almost limitless power,” Shih elucidated, “he has great latitude to negotiate. To the extent that they do not fundamentally undermine the ‘China Dream,’ Xi will happily make concessions.” In Shih’s view, President Trump’s resent statement regarding the softening of penalties on Chinese tech company ZTE is likely a signal to China that the US is still open to negotiation. Likewise, Shih foresees that Xi will find peaceful and harmless ways to reduce the trade deficit while avoiding concessions on real sticking points such as tech transfer policy, leaving these critical questions unresolved.

Summary Author: Trudy Boothman

Written by · Tagged: 19th Party Congress, constitution, dispute, power, trade, Xi Jinping

Search

Language Option

Social Media

Address

Washington State China Relations Council

1301 5th Avenue, Suite 1500 Seattle, WA 98101-2611

Tel: (206) 441 - 4419

E-mail: info@wscrc.org

Contact Us

Copyright ©2021 Washington State China Relations Council. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2021 · Altitude Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Events

  • WSCRC 40th Annual Gala | Pre-Gala Networking Event -
    01/28/2021 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
    • The WSCRC invites all Virtual Gala registered guests to participate in a pre-Gala networking event on January 28th. At this zoom event, gala participants will have the opportunity to virtually meet other participants who will attend the Feb. 2 event....
      • WSCRC EVENT
  • WSCRC 40th Annual Gala - Resetting U.S.-China Relations -
    02/02/2021 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
    • The Washington State China Relations Council, the oldest state level organization devoted to improving ties with China, will hold its 40th annual gala (virtually) on February 2, 2021. The event will feature internationally recognized China experts to share their insights...
      • WSCRC EVENT
  • WSCRC Virtual Gala Take-out Dinner Menu Options -
    02/02/2021 6:45 pm - 10:00 pm
    • In May 2020, the WSCRC and WSCRF joined forces with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Tsinghua GIX North America to co-organize the Food with Love Program, a meal donation program to frontline workers and those experiencing food insecurity....
      • WSCRC EVENT