Xi Jinping’s rise to power in the Chinese Communist Party

‘This is the greatest crisis facing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since Tiananmen Square’ is a statement that one hears after almost every scandal in China, and eventually starts to sound like a cliché. But the obvious thing to point out is, at some point, there must be a crisis that warrants the comparison. And it’s hard to think of a better equivalent than coronavirus. I believe this is the greatest challenge the party has faced this century, and how the party will look when it emerges is one of the most important questions not only for China’s, but the world’s future.

The current political infighting that has embroiled the party has its origins in the type of politics developed during Xi Jinping’s time as leader. How the party got to this stage is a fascinating insight into the nature of one-party rule and the conflicts such a system creates.