Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College, London. Prior to this he was a diplomat, working for the British Foreign Office in London and China from 1998 to 2005, and then Senior Fellow and Head of Asia Programme at Chatham House from 2006 to 2012, when he became Professor Chinese Politics and Director of the China Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. He is the author of over ten books on modern China, the latest of which will be ‘CEO China: The Rise of Xi Jinping’, to be published in April 2016. His first book of poetry, ‘Lost Calls’ was published in the US in January 2016.
Three years in power, Chinese President Xi Jinping looks mightier than ever. He dominates Chinese domestic politics, and has become the face of China’s hyper active international diplomacy, visiting over a dozen countries in the last 12 months alone. Xi has added his stamp to China with a vision that offers new themes and narratives for China, its role in the world, and its historic mission. And yet, underneath the heat and action there are rising concerns about the Chinese economy, and a sense of fear and trepidation in China as the tentacles of the ongoing anti-corruption investigation reach deeper and deeper into the Chinese body politic. What are the real sources of Xi’s power, and just how secure is he? This talk will relate to ‘CEO China – The Rise of Xi Jinping’, a book by Professor Kerry Brown to come out on April 20th which will offer the first full length political study of Xi in English.
