In an era of great change and economic uncertainty around the world, one might expect a leadership transition at the top of one of the world’s rising powers to shine a light on that country’s prospective next leaders so the public might form an opinion of them and decide whether or not to express their distaste or support. Not so in China, where the Chinese Communist Party and its distinctive process of handing power from one group of men to another every ten years are cloaked in shadow. As part of ChinaFile’s ongoing series on China’s leadership transition, in partnership with the Asia Society’s Asia Blog, Orville Schell discusses what makes Xi Jinping, the man expected to be named China’s next top leader, such an enigma.
To read a transcript of this interview, visit the Asia Blog.