How will China develop under the new leadership of Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang? This is a key question for both China and the wider world. This book presents a comprehensive overview of the key areas and issues, assessing how things are likely to develop under the new leadership. It considers the economy, trade, politics, and demographics; appraises the leadership, both at the national and provincial levels; and discusses potential flashpoints in China’s relationship with its neighbors and China’s emerging role in world politics. The book emphasizes the great uncertainties surrounding the next phase of China’s development, highlighting the structural problems of the economy, the problems of urbanization and governance, and the deep social cleavages which exist over issues such as income disparity, rampant corruption and unequal opportunities in social mobility. Against this backdrop it measures the emerging leadership of Xi Jinping to assess the prospects for China in the next decade and beyond.

Introduction (Zheng Yongnian and Lance L. P. Gore)
Part 1: Political Direction

• Intra-Party Democracy: CCP’s Rhetoric or Pragmatic Reform Approach? (Zheng Yongnian and Chen Gang)
• China’s New State Council: The Dilemma of the “Super-Ministry” Reform (Lance L. P. Gore)
• China’s New Supreme Command and Xi Jinping’s Political Leadership (You Ji)
• China’s New Provincial Party Leaders (Bo Zhiyue)

Part 2: Economic Trends

• Adjusting to Lower Growth in the Xi Era (Lu Ding and Yao Jielu)
• China towards Balanced Trade and Growth (Sarah Tong)
• China’s Trade and Investment in the European Union (Wu Dan)
• Assessment of China’s Urbanization (Zhou Zhihua)

Part 3: Social Trends

• China’s Demographic Challenges (Peng Xizhe)
• From ‘Stability Overrides Everything’ to ‘Social Governance’: The Evolving Approach to Social Order in China (H. Christoph Steinhardt and Zhao Litao)
• Reforming China’s Health Care System in The Xi Era (Qian Jiwei and Åke Blomqvist)
• China’s Young Generation Comes of Age: Generation Shift and What It Augurs for China’s Future (Huang Yanjie)

Part 4: Foreign Relations and Foreign Policy

• Going Assertive? Chinese Foreign Policy under the New Leadership (Irene Chan and Li Mingjiang)
• South China Sea Disputes in the Xi Era (Alistair D. B. Cook)
• Japan’s Relations with China and South Korea: Antagonism despite Interdependency (Lam Peng Er)
• New Challenges to the New Leadership: The Diaoyu Islands Dispute Katherine (Tseng Hui-yi)
• China and Global Governance: New Emphases amidst a Cautious Approach (Lye Liang Fook)