Foreign Affairs: How Xi Jinping Views the World

Chinese President Xi Jinping is prominent among world leaders because of the size and continued growth of the Chinese economy as well as the nation’s military presence, role in development, and regional interests. Writing for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd describes Xi’s interests as seven concentric circles: His primary goal is keeping the Chinese Communist Party in power for the long term, making it the center of state operations, prioritizing politics over policymaking and asserting that modern Western government is not the only viable option. Second is unity, with emphasis on securing control over the regional interests of Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Taiwan – regions regarded as essential for external and internal security as well as Chinese nationalism. The third circle is environmentally sustainable economic growth, in the wake of reform of China’s state-owned enterprise and investment in innovation. The fourth and fifth regard regional power, including extending China’s sphere of influence in 14 neighboring states and surrounding maritime territory. The final two circles encompass strengthening China’s investment in the developing world and the nation’s potential to supplant US leadership in international law and order. – YaleGlobal