China's New Era: (China Story Yearbook)

According to Communist Party discourse, China's 'New Era’ began when Xi Jinping was anointed Party boss in 2012. The shape of this New Era became eminently clear in 2023 when Xi commenced his third five-year term as General Secretary of the Party, a fortification of one-man authoritarian rule unprecedented in post-Mao China. Under Xi, the Party has expanded its influence over government, the economy and society. The Party-State is now more Party than State. The year 2023 saw other ‘new eras’ for China as well. Despite initial optimism sparked by the end of COVID-19 restrictions in late 2022, the Chinese economy in 2023 was buffeted by continuing property sector woes, record unemployment, and an unfolding local government debt crisis. Globally, China adopted a series of new and ambitious diplomatic initiatives to woo the Global South and amplify its voice on the world stage. The China Story Yearbook 2023: China’s New Era provides informed perspectives on these and other important stories that will resonate for years to come.

Table of Contents:
Introduction – Annie Luman Ren and Ben Hillman Chapter 1: Political Leadership and Economic Headwinds The Mystery of Xi's Disappearing Officials – Willy Lam China’s Macroeconomy in 2023: An Overview – Jiao Wang China’s Local Government Debt – Jean C. Oi Chapter 2: Party-State Capitalism The Dreary and the Dramatic: What Happened to China’s Platform Economy? – Rogier Creemers How Multinational Corporations are Coopted into Becoming China’s Agents of Repression – Debby Chan Chapter 3: The Challenges of Common Prosperity Inequality in China: The Challenge of Common Prosperity – Dorien Emmers and Scott Rozelle From Poverty Elimination to Rural Revitalisation: The Party Takes Charge – Ben Hillman Are the Nongguan Coming? The Evolution of the Rural Comprehensive Administrative Enforcement Team in China’s Rural Governance – Tan Zhao Chapter 4: Disgruntled Communities Disturbing but Not Politically Threatening: Veterans’ Activism in the Xi Era – Kai Yang Why are China’s Unemployed Graduates Comparing Themselves to Lu Xun’s Character? – Annie Luman Ren Chinese 'Incels’? Misogynist Men on Chinese Social Media – Qian Huang Chapter 5: Voices of the Ordinary People Loneliness, Death and Desolation: Why I Return to Antarctica Time and Again – Translation by Peishan Yann How AI Changed the Way We Work – Translated by Various Chapter 6: China’s Global Ambitions From Riyadh and Tehran to Beijing: China’s Diplomatic Role in a Changing World – Kevin Magee The Belt and Road’s Midlife Crisis: Perspectives from Latin America and the Caribbean – Ruben Gonzalez‑Vicente Chapter 7: New Frontiers China: The New No. 2 Space Power – Brad Tucker The Frontiers of History: China Discovers the Pacific’s Dark Colonial Legacy – Graeme Smith Chapter 8: The Pointy End of Australia–China Relations How Fearful is China’s Military Rise? – Edward Sing Yue Chan Caution and Compromise in Australia’s China Strategy – Benjamin Herscovitch Ending Economic Sanctions: The Role of Chinese Industry Associations in the Removal of Barriers on Australian Barley and Wine – Scott Waldron, Darren J. Lim and Victor A. Ferguson Notes Contributors Previous China Story Yearbooks