The Camden Conference presents Tom Remington at the Belfast Free Library on Tuesday, January 8 at 6:30 pm at the Belfast Free Library. His talk, “Xi Jinping’s ‘New Era:’ Prospects and Vulnerabilities,” is free and open to all.

China’s president Xi Jinping has accumulated more personal power than any Chinese leader since Mao and used it to move China into what he calls “a new era.”  This entails a new economic development strategy, an increasingly repressive political regime, and an expansionist foreign policy.  His policies demonstrate China’s confidence and strength but at the same time expose China to significant risks at home and abroad.  Some believe that China is overstretched, that its economy still relies too heavily on state investment, that the gap between rich and poor is growing dangerously wide, and that the possibility of serious military conflict with the United States is growing.  We will review these issues and assess the likelihood that Xi’s bold leadership will confront significant obstacles in the coming years.  

Thomas F. Remington is a Visiting Professor at Harvard University, a Senior Research Associate at the Higher Higher School of Economics, in Moscow, Russia, and Professor (Emeritus) of Political Science, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.  He is the author of many books and articles focusing on Russian and Chinese political institutions and social policy.