The “Chinese-style” Political System in the Xi Jinping Era

Abstract

This chapter defined China’s political system in the Xi Jinping era as quasi-totalism. This system is a political system that prioritizes the realization of the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This is similar to totalitarianism in that the party-state system, in which power is highly concentrated in the party center and the supreme leader, penetrates and controls all areas of Chinese society. However, it differs from the totalitarianism of the Mao Zedong era in the following points: The party-state system does not rely solely on coercive control, but seeks to strengthen the legitimacy of the government based on achievements through state-led economic growth, and at the same time seeks to govern by mobilizing the support of the public through the eradication of corruption and poverty; it also pursues not only the socialist ideology as the basis of the governing ideology, but also the ideology that combines the traditional people-centered thought of Chinese history, socialist ideology, and nationalism. In addition, since individuals with private ownership can live their daily lives without being directly dependent on the state through the market economy system, the “range” and “degree” of control over an individual’s life by state power is much weaker than in a “completed” totalism system. Therefore, it can be defined as a quasi-totalism system.