The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State

While I'm an avid reader of all things foreign policy, I'm trying to learn more about China and it's role in the world. "The Third Revolution" by Elizabeth Economy is an incredibly insightful and all-encompassing examination of the changes taking place in China under President Xi Jinping and the effects that these sweeping reforms are having abroad. On what surely is based on hours of interviews with experts, businessmen, and government officials, the book examines the impact of these changes on topics ranging from tech innovation to environmental policy. It's a quick read, and conveniently structured--each chapter focuses on a different aspect of Chinese society and government. In terms of readability, the author weaves together research and personal anecdotes, making what could easily be a boring tome into a compelling narrative on a complicated subject. As someone who studied international relations but did not focus on China, I felt that this book was the perfect explainer for China under Xi Jinping. I highly highly recommend this book for both China scholars and non-experts alike since it does a fantastic job of explaining it to the layman while also providing in-depth research and analysis on an extremely important issue. If you’ve ever watched the news and been confused by China’s convoluted governing system or seemingly contradictory policies, do yourself a favor and get this book!

For me this was a followup to Henry Kissinger because he only went up to around 2010 when Obama was starting and Hu Xintao was the ruler of China. I was unfamiliar with Elizabeth Economy, but she works with Richard Haass, a frequent talking head from the establishment, and Max Boot, a hawkish neocon who in 2002 embraced the term neocon at a time when everybody was nitpicking over the exact meaning of neocon. He accepted the general meaning of an all around worldwide hawk. As Ted Cruz once said, invade every country on earth (he wasn't advocating it), or as Michael Ledeen and Jonah Goldberg said, pick some country and throw them at the wall every decade or so. Boot is a harsh Trump critic along with Frum and Kristol, and like Frum and Jen Rubin I really don't know how they match the term conservative at all, but whatever. But I'm getting off topic. The point is, Economy is a younger lady but she works with some established figures. The main point of the book is that Xi Jinping is the most powerful leader since Chairman Mao. That's saying something, considering Deng Xiaoping shaped the direction for decades and Jiang Xemin was a formidable figure in his own right, as Kissinger observed. The "third revolution" involves some of the Hu era but really picked up under the current leadership. Despite the Tienanmen Square tragedy, there was a general trend of economic reforms, that many hoped would be a catalyst for political and human rights reforms. This has emphatically gone in the opposite direction. It would be interesting to tackle the history of Russia since the Soviet Union and how there may be parallels. The various chapters chronicle the crackdown on political opposition, including an increased control over the internet. This has provoked resistance at home and abroad, including among the entrepreneurs who have made many innovations in the technological economy. There is also a military buildup, as we've recently seen in the news. Kissinger noted that military power wasn't the main factor in the rise, but it has been a result that has developed a lot in the past decade. The militarism goes with nationalist sentiment of course, and the reversal of various financial reforms from the Deng and Jiang eras, with an increased tendency toward government owned businesses. All these things have affected China's ability to relate to the international liberal order, which it didn't participate in creating. The liberal order itself is in crisis, with the rise of various forms of populism and nationalism in different regions. Elizabeth Economy, perhaps for the purpose of influence and cooperation, takes a reasonable approach to the Trump administration (the colleagues in the establishment are talking heads who generally criticize Donald). The hawkish stance that developed in the early to mid part of this decade seems confirmed by what was going on with Xi and the third revolution. I use hawkish not in the sense of interventionism, but his attitude toward trade and other aspects of the relationship. Economy suggests that measures of retaliation, economic and other, are necessary in this new era of the relationship between China and the US.

This is one of the best books I have read on China in the past few years. It brought a degree of clarity to the enormously complex political and economic changes underway in China today that I have not encountered in other books. The author argues convincingly that Xi Jinping’s China is significantly different from that of Deng Xiaoping or Mao Zedong ( the second and first revolutions) and poses a new type of challenge for the United States. She points to four trends in particular as distinguishing Xi China from that of his predecessors: the extraordinary consolidation of power in Xi's own hands, the growing role of the Communist Party in Chinese society and economy, the increasing ability of the Party to control the amount of information and capital that comes into China from the outside world, and a much more assertive Chinese foreign policy. She grounds her argument in interesting and novel insights from both interviews with Chinese officials and businesspeople, as well as fascinating material from Chinese history. (For example, she traces the role of censorship and anti-corruption campaigns not only back to Mao’s China but also through different periods of Imperial China.) There is also a section on what the United States should do about China, which I found quite helpful given all of the tensions in the U.S.-China relationship today. Overall, I found the book to be smart, nuanced, and engaging. Well worth the time and money.

In an attempt to order the events of the People's Republic of China it is frequently divided into three decade periods, 1949-78 the Mao era, 1979-2009 the Deng Xiaoping Reform era, and now we are in the third decade the 'Counter Reform era' that begins with Hu Jintao. Elizabeth Economy chooses to focus on Xi Jinping coming to power in the Third Plenum November 2013 as Chairmen of the Communist Party and President as the ‘Third Revolution.’ She will find no disagreement on Xi as a new force in China, he having won life tenor as president suppressing the ten year term period that had marked China as a unique authoritarian systems with constitutional limits on power previously; just before publication of this work. What is disappointing is that the book reads like scanning collected news print on China, with little interjection of analysis beyond the rumblings of pundits. Her finally chapter, The Road Forward, How the United States Looks at China, does summarize three positions and she offers the fourth. One is a return to the Cold War containing China as the Soviet Union was contained with aid from Asian allies, a view not unlike China’s premise of ‘American Encirclement;’ second a view that China is not attempting to displace the World Power but to pursue regionally its own interest such as the One Belt One Road, and space for American joint action; third, attributed to Thomas Christensen, a calm mind on Chinese affairs who hold the current regime as yet an unknown but feels its cooperation on the role of international government should be encouraged, (current North Korea involvement fitting well). And finally Ms. Economy’s own construction that rang like the Washington Consensus of times pasted role playing ‘doing what needs to be done to stay in control.’ Harsh judgment, but I was hoping for an insightful conclusion, turned the page and saw: NOTES. A Council on Foreign Relations publication. Ms. Economy shows little understand of the working of the PRC economy, being overwhelmed by SOE’s (State owned enterprises) when the private sector now produces more than 60 percent of the nation’s economic output, employs over 80 percent of workers in cities and towns, and generates 90 percent of new jobs. But more importantly she misses the transformation that began under former president Hu Jintao of denying the reforms that were designed to create a viable governmental structure and falling back to authoritarian mode so evident now in Xi’s time. This is covered well in a new release by Carl Minzner, End of an Era: How China’s Authoritarian Revival is Undermining Its Rise, that describes a very damaged structure lacking any viable adjustment mechanisms, characteristic of governments, that may place Xi Jinping in a desperate situation should economic or foreign catastrophe occur, further enhanced by William H. Overholt’s (Senior Fellow - Asia Center, Harvard University) China’s Crisis of Success. China is unique and has its foundations in history. Xi is the emperor now will he survive? A thoughtful person might wish him well for China’s problems now are the world’s concern. Minzner and Overholt give a range of answers; highly recommended. *Economy a fine light introduction. 3 stars *Economy often used the expression “Massacre at Tiananmen Square,” bad history. Most have changed to ‘Tiananmen Square (Student) protest, 1989.’ No one died at TS, on June 3-4, 1989, as armed soldiers closed in Liu Xiaobo, Xu Zhiyong and Pu Zhiqiang negotiated the safe passage of protesters who were still there. Unknown numbers of citizens died that night battling soldiers, armed with armor piercing bullets, with pavement stones and Molotov cocktails at barricades on the streets and that story needs telling, but the protesters were freed, many later jailed. Liu was to win the Nobel Peace Prize while serving in prison for other actions, he died there of cancer 13, July, 2017.

This engaging book puts the developments in China during my lifetime (I'm 58) in perspective for me. Perhaps I'd thought that China was making its way from communism and isolationism to becoming an open and democratic society, and making this transition via carefully-controlled engagement in capitalism. NOPE! I found it fascinating to read about 50+ years of campaigns and anti-corruption initiatives, and to compare our own system of laws and norms to those of China in theory and practice. The books starts with the present day, which I think is the a to making the topic so accessible. It doesn't read like a history book. I heard about Ms. Economy's book when she was interviewed on a CFR or Brookings podcast (or some foreign relations podcast). I ordered it immediately and I'm very glad I did.

No much original viewpoint or discovery about China under President Xi, but a comprehensive survey of China's main policy toward the World. For readers to understand Chinese's deepest resent to the American or Western-value-dominated 20th century, so-called "China's Dream" is rooted in 18-19th century China's humiliated memory in the mind of Xi and ordinary Chinese people, ""once top in the world, and now WE CHINA is back, watch out you foreigners""!!

Trying to figure out why Chinese grow is slowing? Wondering about the causes of the US “trade war” against China? Why so many Chinese students who graduate from US universities are loath to return back to the mainland? Elizabeth Economy has written the most informative, readable and fact-packed book yet on China since the rise of Xi Jinping in 2012. I have given to book as a gift to a number of friends. It is excellent and will have a long shelf life, since Xi has gotten himself enshrined indefinitely as the country’s “paramount leader.”

A valuable book worth reading by everyone running for president in 2020 (at least, those who can actually read). As Elizabeth Economy points out in her conclusion, China's "third revolution" under CCP leader Xi Jinping does not indicate that China seeks to supplant the U.S. as a leader on the world stage. However, Xi and his party do have an ambitious foreign policy agenda that challenges the interests of America, its allies, and the established world order. She advises the next U.S. administration to continue to work with Beijing on "technical cooperation" while emphasizing diplomacy, multilateralism, commitment to American values, and when necessary, punitive measures.

I am an avid follower of China, having lived and worked in Hong Kong (with many visits to China) for 5 years, including the time Thatcher signed the agreement to hand HK back to China. Economy has written a well researched book on the way China ticked, and the way it seems it will tick under the horrific Xi Jinping. The book was published in 2018, so covers Trump's attempts at dealing (not very well) with Xi. If Biden gets elected in a few months I sincerely hope he handles China with care, but with a very, very firm hand. Similarly, leaders in other so-called western world countries, not least the ignorant Boris Johnson, who should be shot for allowing the likes of Huawei anywhere near anything of the slightest security risk for the UK and allies. I have absolutely no liking for Xi at all, and the treatment by China of the Uyghurs and Hong Kongers simply sets out how, in my opinion, Xi wants anyone to be treated who does not do as he says. What is now happening in HK was very predictable. I particularly like the last two chapters of the book: "The lion awakens" and "The road forward". This last chapter should be read by both Biden and Trump and all those in their camps. Thank you Elizabeth Economy for an excellent and educational read.

Un bon livre qui décrit bien les gros challenges auxquels la Chine va devoir faire face. Il explique aussi bien en quoi le modèle politique de la Chine est un frein pour répondre à ces challenges. Je crains cependant que le point de vu de l'auteur ne soit trop occidental. Qu'il voit les problèmes de la Chine et pas ses avantages. Serait-il trop pessimiste sur la Chine ? Je n'ai pas les compétences pour le dire, mais j'ai l'impression que oui.

This book might as well have been an official US governmental report. It's deeply biased in a way that the author doesn't even try to hide it and big statements are made by so-called unnamed figures to provide legitimacy to Economy's claims. The domestic opinions and perspectives on Xi Jinping, his policies and the overall rule of the CCP are diminished and only selectively put forward only if they contribute to the narrative Economy is trying to get across; same thing with her purposely misinterpreting statistics and numbers (on for example the amount of internationally educated Chinese people returning to China post-graduation). It's a brief overview of China's most important domestic policy pointers, if that's what you're looking for, sure, but Economy is an unreliable narrator and I wouldn't recommend it to people with no prior knowledge on China's current affairs because it'll be hard to separate truth from U.S. propagandism. Very, very disappointing read.

A breezy book setting out the broad strokes of China's emergence as a power of concern. Very troubling trendlines in China, largely at the hands of the current despot, Xi. If your utopia is an expansionist surveillance state that controls every aspect of your life, including what you are allowed to think, then China is home sweet home.

習近平体制の中国が過去の政権から変わった部分(あるいは変わらない部分)を分かりやすく、しかし正確に解説しています。内容として反汚職、インターネット管理、国有企業改革、大気汚染対策、技術イノベーション能力の向上、中国のグローバルな地位の向上などが分析されています。報道等で部分的に知っている事柄もありましたが、体系的に習近平体制の中国について理解が深まりました。著者のElizabeth Economyは、バイデン政権で商務長官の上級アドバイザーを務め、現在はスタンフォード大学のフーバー研究所の上級研究員です。