Penulis : Jannus TH Siahaan
Judul : THE ALCHEMY OF POWER XI JINPING AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF A NATION
Ukuran : 14 x 20  cm
Halaman : 134 hlm
Tahun : 2025
Sinopsis : This book explores Xi Jinping’s leadership as the paradox of power in modern China. It argues that his rule cannot be reduced to authoritarianism or reformism but represents a blend of ambition and fragility. Born into privilege as the son of a revolutionary elite, Xi’s early life collapsed during the Cultural Revolution, when his father was purged and his family disgraced. Exiled to the village of Liangjiahe, he endured seven years of poverty and labor, experiences later reframed as a crucible of resilience. These formative years taught him that stability is the only safeguard against collapse, that endurance and loyalty are vital for survival, and that control is indispensable for authority.

Later, his education at Tsinghua and service in Fujian and Zhejiang combined technocratic rationality with pragmatic governance, forging a worldview that treated discipline and control as prerequisites for development. By 2012, when Xi assumed leadership, China’s so-called golden decade had produced prosperity alongside inequality, corruption, and political stagnation. Into this contradiction Xi entered, launching an anti-corruption campaign that eliminated rivals and restored credibility, fusing personal authority with Party legitimacy.

Security became the foundation of his rule. Xi established the National Security Commission, expanded the scope of threats to include ideology, economy, and cyberspace, and inscribed Xi Jinping Thought into the constitution. The collective leadership that had defined the post-Mao era gave way to personalization of authority. To Xi, such concentration was not indulgence but survival, rooted in the lesson that fragile institutions cannot withstand compromise. Carefully cultivated images of authenticity—rooted in his rural exile—reinforced his authority, binding loyalty from below while instilling fear within the elite. His leadership thus embodied the paradox of stability built on insecurity, where consolidation reduced institutional adaptability.

Globally, Xi pursued security through scale and connectivity. The Belt and Road Initiative, military modernization, and assertive diplomacy embodied his conviction that China would be safer if larger and less dependent on others. Yet these measures invited counterbalances: Japan rearmed, Vietnam and Taiwan fortified defenses, and Western states imposed tariffs and technology restrictions. Domestically, Xi expanded welfare with near-universal health insurance, unified pensions, and universities in the interior, signaling the capacity of the state to deliver progress. But disparities persisted, fiscal burdens mounted, and demographic decline threatened sustainability.

By the mid-2020s, the costs of this model were clear: defense budgets outpacing growth, property market collapse, demographic contraction, reputational crises in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and environmental stress from droughts and floods. Abroad, China faced trade frictions and tighter security alignments. The book concludes that Xi’s rule epitomizes the paradox of power: extraordinary capacity for mobilization shadowed by deep insecurity. He emerges neither as caricatured strongman nor misunderstood reformer, but as a leader forged in hardship, governing with vigilance against disorder, and embodying the contradictions of Chinese governance in the twenty-first century.