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ed successor to Hu Jintao evidenced by botched ever, that may not be true and was probably included
in 2008. Covid-control measures anymore as government because of the author’s
However, what Xi learnt which have depressed not wants to control the narra- nationality. Lastly, while it
during this period was how only the economy but also tive at all levels, including discusses what Xi Jinping
corruption was undermin- public spirit in general. academic freedom. What- is doing, it does not ad-
ing China’s growth as well Moreover, Xi’s effort ever of it existed, has quite equately explain why he is
as the Party’s legitimacy. to control business and vanished. It started with doing the many things he
This awareness manifested industry through ‘top-level the Party setting out to is doing. Some explanation
in Xi’s initial major policy design’ is stifling creativity, ‘correct’ history narratives was needed.
decision in Beijing, when innovation and risk-taking. and stop “historic nihil- Despite these shortfalls,
he undertook the most This is exemplified in ism”, and has ended up in this book is a great and
widespread anti-corrup- the way the Ant IPO was silencing academic voices easy read. The author’s
tion campaign anywhere handled, Alibaba was and independent enquiry. experience as a journalist
in the world within six fined for anti-competitive There are a few com- shows in this lucidly writ-
months of assuming practices and the way DiDi plaints about this excel- ten biography which will
power. was forced to delist from lent book. To begin with, be of great value for any-
In popular terms, if Wall Street. there’s a fair bit of repeti- one interested in China’s
Mao taught China how to There is also consider- tion; for example, the situ- trajectory in several fields
stand up and Deng how to able detail on how the ation in Xinjiang appears including economy, state-
walk, then Xi’s ambition is academic environment in chapters on ideology, society relations, national-
to make it run and achieve has been silenced in China economy, foreign policy, ism, media and foreign
its dream of transforming under Xi during the past and so on. Second, the sec- policy. It should interest
into a superpower. Howev- decade. For long, it was tion on Singapore and its academic as well as non-
er, as Party of One shows, said of China that it has political history feels out academic readers.
it is doubtful whether “an open society and of place in the chapter on AVINASH GODBOLE (The
Xi can indeed do this as closed government”. How- Wolf Warrior diplomacy Book Review)

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