Cover Osteuropa 7-9/2023

In Osteuropa 7-9/2023

Xi Jinping
A “Strong Man” for a “Strong Nation”

Nicola Spakowski


Deutsche Fassung

Abstract

As both general secretary of the Communist Party of China and his country’s head of state, Xi Jinping wields more power than any Chinese leader since Mao. Practices such as collective party leadership or term limits have been abandoned. Xi Jinping embodies authoritarian rule’s claim to power and Chi-na’s rise as a world power. State propaganda casts him as a “strong man” and fatherly leadership figure. His “manly action” and “Confucian” composure are considered aspects of the regime’s stability and legitimacy.

(Osteuropa 7-9/2023, pp. 119–134)