Skip to main content
Xi Jinping’s ‘authoritarian turn’ — prioritising stability at a time of global turbulence
Rather than condemning the CPC’s abandonment of two-term limits, we must understand why China’s rapid rise — and consequently the US’s renewed hostility — has meant the party has chosen to centralise power at this time, writes JENNY CLEGG
Xi Jinping

THE 20th congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) has made headlines in the mainstream media, but hardly because China’s future is of great consequence for the future of the world — rather, all eyes have been on Xi Jinping’s continuing as general secretary into a third five-year term.  

What an opportunity, so the pundits think, to hype up the new cold war, spotlighting China’s “dictatorial” methods of leadership succession as against the West’s virtues of democratic choice.

Xi is being “anointed,” we are told, or “crowned,” as China’s leader.  

Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
Closing session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at t
Features / 13 March 2025
13 March 2025
Western media dismisses the National People’s Congress while ignoring its extensive consultation processes, massive public participation mechanisms, and a tiered structure involving millions of deputies, explains JENNY CLEGG
(Left to right) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Egyptia
Features / 17 November 2024
17 November 2024
JENNY CLEGG sets out and then responds to eight key doubts about the Brics+ alliance in light of the developments at Kazan, arguing it represents a significant challenge to US hegemony and provides a path towards a multipolar world
Isabel Crook in 1940
International Women's Day 2024 / 8 March 2024
8 March 2024
JENNY CLEGG pays tribute to a remarkable woman who was a pioneer in bringing about greater understanding between China and the West
Xi and Wang
Features / 15 December 2023
15 December 2023
The US does not have a plan for peace in the Middle East — nor is it in their interests. China does have a plan — and it is in the interests of the rest of the world that it is listened to and supported, explains JENNY CLEGG
Similar stories
LESSONS FROM CHINA: Students in Tieling High School, Liaonin
Features / 25 January 2025
25 January 2025
From defeating illiteracy to tackling student stress, China’s system transforms lives while putting people before profit — British educators should consider what we could learn from the world’s largest school system, writes LOGAN WILLIAMS
8 - CPB china(1)
Features / 30 September 2024
30 September 2024
As the People's Republic turns 75, ROBERT GRIFFITHS details how British communists championed Chinese sovereignty against imperialism, weathering the political storms of the Sino-Soviet split and collapse of the USSR to rebuild relations for the modern era
Maryrs day
Features / 30 September 2024
30 September 2024
ANDREW MURRAY reflects on the achievements and character of socialism with Chinese characteristics