March 13, 2025
6 PM
Adam von Trott Saal Tagungs- und Veranstaltungshaus Alte Mensa Wilhelmspl. 3, 37073 Göttingen

Xi Jinping and the Question of Power

Since taking office in 2012, Xi Jinping has reshaped the Chinese political landscape, consolidating authority in ways not seen since Mao Zedong. His leadership has redefined governance, the role of the Communist Party, and China’s position on the global stage. But how does power function under Xi? What mechanisms sustain his control, and how do they compare to past leadership models?

Join us for an in-depth discussion on the centralization of power, ideological shifts, and institutional changes under Xi Jinping—exploring their implications for China’s future and the international order.

Panelists:
🗣 Johnny Erling (Journalist, China expert)
🗣 Joseph Fewsmith (Political scientist, China scholar, Boston University)
🎤 Moderation: Jürgen Trittin (Former Federal Minister)

This event will be held in person and streamed via Zoom. It will be conducted in English, but questions during the Q&A can be asked in German. No registration is required—this is an open event.

Zoom Link: https://uni-goettingen.zoom-x.de/j/69671256989

Johnny Erling
Johnny Erling, born 1952, graduated from the University of Frankfurt/Main studied 1975/76 and 1982 at Beijing University. Most of his professional life he spent reporting from China, from 1985 until 1990 as the Beijing correspondent for a pool of daily newspapers from Germany and Austria, from 1997 to 2019 as the Beijing correspondent for the German newspaper “Die Welt” and the Austrian “Der Standard”. After more than 35 Years working in China he moved back to Germany where he lives since 2020 with his family in Bad Homburg. As a MERICS Senior Associate Fellow, he focuses on the Communist Party and domestic politics.

Erling, J. (2021). Xi Jinping: The rise of an authoritarian leader. In K. Larres (Ed.), Dictators and Autocrats (pp. 177–190). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003100508-14
This chapter is available for download at:
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/reader/download/ba8764dd-8845-4b01-a5d7-7941596f08e6/chapter/pdf?context=ubx

Jospeh Fewsmith
Joseph Fewsmith is Professor of International Relations and Political Science at the Boston University Pardee School. He is the author of seven books, including, most recently, Forging Leninism in China: Mao and the Remaking of the Chinese Communist Party, 1927-1934. Other works include Rethinking Chinese Politics (June 2021), The Logic and Limits of Political Reform in China (January 2013), and China since Tiananmen (2nd edition, 2008). Other books include Elite Politics in Contemporary China (2001), The Dilemmas of Reform in China: Political Conflict and Economic Debate (1994), and Party, State, and Local Elites in Republican China: Merchant Organizations and Politics in Shanghai, 1890-1930 (1985). He was one of the seven regular contributors to the China Leadership Monitor, a quarterly web publication analyzing current developments in China from 2002 to 2014.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fewsmith traveled to China regularly and was active in the Association for Asian Studies. His articles have appeared in such journals as Asian Survey, Comparative Studies in Society and History, The China Journal, The China Quarterly, Current History, The Journal of Contemporary China, Problems of Communism, and Modern China. He is a Center Associate of the John King Fairbank Center for China Studies at Harvard University and an associate of the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future at Boston University.
Professor Fewsmith’s areas of expertise include comparative politics as well as Chinese domestic politics and foreign policy.

https://www.bu.edu/pardeeschool/profile/joseph-fewsmith/