A bout a year since he took office, Xi Jinping’s direction as president of China is increasingly clear. His priority is the preservation of the Communist party. Cadres now watch a documentary about the end of the Soviet Union; Mikhail Gorbachev is not the hero.
Mr Xi’s self-criticism and anti-corruption campaigns are supposed to cleanse the party – but also strengthen his levers of control. He has consolidated power faster than expected: he dominates the Politburo Standing Committee and chairs the Central Military Commission, a new National Security Committee and High Level Leading Party groups guiding economic reform.
With the preservation of the party as priority, his changes should be seen as a means to that end. Economic reforms will not be matched by political openness. On the contrary, given the risks of change, the belief is that politics must be kept under control.