Books diverge on Xi’s Marxist status

Two prominent new books diverge on whether Chinese leader Xi Jinping is really a Marxist. After 12 years in power, Xi remains an enigma. Yet his political thought is prolific, reflected in hundreds of his published speeches and commentaries.

While the new books, including one by former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, differ on what they see as the true depth of Xi’s professed Marxist ideals, they broadly agree that he seeks to build a socialist superpower leading a new world order. This has come at the cost of repression, purges, and paranoia, the China scholar Jude Blanchette wrote in The Wire China: “The question is not just whether Xi will achieve his aims, but what will be left of China if he does.”