The Broken China Dream
From Pekingology by Center for Strategic and International Studies
December 11, 2025 · 40 min
About this episode
This episode features a discussion on the evolution of China's political and economic system and the implications of reform on totalitarianism.
In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Minxin Pei, author of the new book, "The Broken China Dream: How Reform Revived Totalitarianism." Minxin traces the evolution of China's political and economic system through the post-Mao era, highlighting key moments in which the Party's efforts to strengthen collective leadership inadvertently planted the seeds of Xi Jinping's eventual power grab. To hear more from Minxin, check out the 2024 episode of Pekingology: The Sentinel State.
People in this episode
Host: Henrietta Levin
Guest: Minxin Pei
Topics covered
- China's political system
- economic reform
- Xi Jinping
- totalitarianism
- post-Mao era
- collective leadership
Keywords
- China
- political system
- economic reform
- Xi Jinping
- totalitarianism
- post-Mao
- collective leadership
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Broken China Dream: How Reform Revived Totalitarianism, The Sentinel State
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