'China Under Xi Jinping: A New Assessment' is one of the first scholarly books on Xi’s China during the pandemic, containing several features unmatched by existing scholarship. First, all the authors have studied and taught Chinese and American history or politics in China, Taiwan, and the United States for decades. They are quite familiar with and deeply understand the history, politics, ideology, and society in China and the United States. Therefore, their research would be more balanced and nuanced, if not more profound, than that of many Western or China-based students. Second, most authors are historians who examine Xi Jinping’s China and China’s relationship with the West from a motley crew of historical backdrops and political and legal perspectives. Their probe into the historical trajectory, precedents, causes, and problems of Xi’s policies and intentions helps readers obtain a better sense of what Xi and his government could do in the future. Third, most authors are established and internationally renowned scholars in their respective fields. Lastly, this book is one of the first studies spanning from Xi Jinping’s rise to power in the early 2000s to the pandemic era and beyond. The authors have kept a close eye on the latest developments and sources to analyze and compare Xi’s policies as well as his volatile relations with the West before and after the pandemic.

Dr. Qiang Fang is professor of East Asian History at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He is the current president of Association of Chinese Professors in Social Science (ACPSS). His recent publications include Sino-American Relations: A New Cold War, The Communist Judicial System in China, 1927-1976, and Power Versus Law in Modern China.

Dr. Xiaobing Li is professor of History and Don Betz Endowed Chair in International Studies at the University of Central Oklahoma. He is currently the editor of Chinese Historical Reviews. His recent publications include Sino-American Relations: A New Cold War, The Dragon in the Jungle: The Chinese Army in the Vietnam War, Attack at Chosin: The Chinese Second Offensive in Korea, and Building Ho’s Army: Chinese Military Assistance to North Vietnam.

Table of Contents; Acknowledgement; Note on Transliteration; Abbreviations; Introduction: Xi’s Ten Years: Evolution and Adaptation, Qiang Fang and Xiaobing Li;Part One Party’s Legacy and Continuity; 1. What did the CCP Learn from the Past? An Analysis of Xi Jinping’s Dexterous Utilization of History, Patrick Fuliang Shan; 2. From “Seven Speak-Nots” to “Media Surnamed the Party”: Media in China from 2012-2022, Guolin Yi; 3. China’s Shift to Personalistic Rule: Xi Jinping’s Centralization of Political Power, Xiaojia Hou; 4. Understanding the “Rule of Law” in Xi’s China, Qiang Fang; Part Two Global Ambitions and Social Stability; 5. Necessitated by Geopolitics: China’s Economic and Cultural Initiatives in Central Asia, Yi Sun; 6. Confucius Institute in Xi Jinping Era: From Peak to Demise in the United States, Shuhua Fan; 7. Belt and Road by the Sea: 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Ting Jiang; Part Three Military Outreach and Geopolitical Strategy; 8. Xi Jinping and the Derailment of the KMT-CCP “1992 Consensus”, Dean Chen; 9. Beijing’s Military Power and East Asian-Pacific Hot Spots, Xiaobing Li; 10. Towards a More Joint Strategy: Assessing Chinese Military Reforms and Militia Reconstruction, Lei Duan; 11. From Trade War to New Cold War: Popular Nationalism and the Global Times on Weibo, Mao Lin; Conclusion: Xi’s China: Continuing Evolution in a New Direction, Xiaobing Li and Qiang Fang; About the Contributors; Selected Bibliography; Index