http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/2015/03/16-xi-jinping-inner-circle-mishu-cluster-li
The link above will take you to a summary of the paper I want to highlight this week and also links to the first three papers in this series from Mr. Cheng Li of the Brookings Institute (roll back in my Sunday Papers section and you’ll find my earlier summaries).
In this paper the author provides context to what will be his last on the subject of who’s whom in the most powerful man* on the planet’s entourage focusing on the ‘mishu’ (secretary, literally secret books) phenomenon. In passing he notes the irony of recent remarks by Mr. Xi about needing to stamp out party factionalism whilst at the same time creating his own powerful clique.
We may only know in 20-years time what’s really going on in China at present but this series from Mr. Li provide useful context to the realpolitik clearly at work behind the tiger and fly extirpation campaign; which is now beginning to look like a purge.
Whatever’s going on the domestic stock market is giving it an unequivocal thumbs up. The Shanghai Composite index is up from 2,084 a year ago to 3,894 last Friday or 87%; the rise there due, in large part I believe, to what’s going on in the Party machine. International investors seem to be less sure (as indeed am I) with the HSCEI up only 24% over the same period. Interesting times.
Happy Sunday.
[*Forbes have him at #3 behind Mr. Putin and Mr. Obama, I don’t think so]