Abstract:
This year will see the 19th Party Congress. marking a moment of re-evaluation for the Communist Party policy and elite leadership. Under Xi since 2012 there has been what is claimed to have been a concentration of power within his hands. But how can we best understand this power, and what sense does it make to say that Xi is the new Mao of China? What is his political programme, and how does it relate to the organisation he is meant to be serving and leading to a sustainable future – the Communist Party of China.

Presenter:
Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College, London. His main interests are in the politics and society of modern China, in its international relations and its political economy. His monographs include `Struggling Giant: China in the 21st Century’ (London, June 2007 )and `Friends and Enemies: The Past, Present and Future of the Communist Party of China‘ (London, 2009).