Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, Volume IV

The Governance of China #4

by Xi Jinping

The Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council Information Office, with the support of the Research Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, and China International Publishing Group, have compiled a fourth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China. This volume is designed to help officials and the public better understand and apply Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, to impress upon them the decisive nature of the Two Affirmations, to strengthen their commitment to the Four Consciousnesses, the Four-sphere Confidence, and the Two Upholds, and to guide them to forge ahead in unity and with greater resolve on a new journey in the new era. It is also intended that this volume will keep the international community abreast of the latest developments in President Xi’s thoughts, give them a better understanding of how the Chinese people have succeeded under CPC leadership and how they will continue to succeed in the future, and explain the development path that China has chosen and its approach to and theory of governance.

This volume contains a compilation of 109 of Xi Jinping’s spoken and written works from February 3, 2020 to May 10, 2022, along with 45 photographs taken since January 2020. It is divided into 21 sections by topic, with the articles in each section arranged in chronological order. For ease of reading, notes are provided at the end of relevant articles.

Genres: China

668 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2022

About the author

Xi Jinping (simplified Chinese: 习近平; traditional Chinese: 習近平) is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, the President of the People's Republic of China, and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission. As Xi holds the top offices of the party and the military, in addition to being the head of state through the office of President, he is sometimes informally referred to as China's "paramount leader". As General Secretary, Xi is also an ex officio member of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's de facto top decision-making body.

Reviews

[Chet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soonish I'll write a longer review of this (and cover the entire series) on my substack. So subscribe there.
chetozmun[dot]substack[dot]com

[Ryan Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in sections on my YouTube channel… here is a link to the playlist. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO...

[Bakari · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it's important to gain insight into China by reading Xi Jinping's speeches, many of them are overly general and lack detail. They do not mention other Chinese Communist Party members or discuss key industries in China, whether private or government-run. He doesn't, for example, discuss the influence of companies like Apple on China or even the many important industries like Huawei, Alibaba, or the State Grid Coperation.

However, he explores the socialist aspects of China, including the goal of "common prosperity and the Civil Code, which protects the private and human rights of individuals. He details some of the work of China has been doing with countries in the Global South, including Africa. He also discusses the public health system, which I initially thought resembled a universal Medicare, but Chinese citizens still pay something for their Medicare. Again, because of the lack of detail, it's difficult to understand how that system operates.He frequently mentions socialism, discussing the improvements China needs to make, which is commendable.

To truly understand what is happening in China, his speeches alone are insufficient. Reading works by Chinese scholars and commentaries would provide more depth. His speeches offer a general picture of China, but I believe the book is still worth reading, even though it lacks the detail.

[Carlos Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

You'll be shocked and appalled to know that I read this in English, not Chinese, but I can't find the English version on here.

Honestly I'd have appreciated an abridged version, but the Governance of China series is totally indispensable if you're looking to understand the outlook, objectives, ideology and strategy of the CPC leadership.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

More from the Politburo. How to govern and maintain political stability.