When Xi Jinping took power in 2012, some observers predicted he would be the most liberal Communist Party leader in China’s history, based on his low-key profile, family backstory and perhaps a degree of misguided hope.
More than 10 years later, those forecasts lie in tatters, proving only how little was understood of the man who is now China’s most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong after being handed a third term as president on Friday.
Xi has gone from being primarily known as the husband of a celebrity singer to someone whose apparent charisma and aptitude for political storytelling have created a following not seen since Mao’s day.
The colourful details of his early life have been rinsed and repackaged in official party lore, but the man himself — and what drives him — remain something of an enigma.
“I dispute the conventional view that Xi Jinping struggles for power for power’s sake,” Alfred L. Chan, author of a book on Xi’s life, told AFP.
“I would suggest that he strives for power as an instrument… to fulfil his vision.”
Central to that vision — what Xi calls the “Chinese Dream” or “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” — is the role of the Communist Party (CCP).
“Xi is a man of faith… for him, God is the Communist Party,” wrote Kerry Brown, author of “Xi: A Study in Power”.
“The greatest mistake the rest of the world makes about Xi is to not take this faith seriously.”
