The Making of Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping’s political worldview stems from the life of his father, Xi Zhongxun, a high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official whose career was defined by extreme loyalty despite enduring repeated purges and imprisonment. Joseph Torigian, Senior Fellow for Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, examines how this "party-first" mentality was forged through the catastrophic instability of the 20th century. The discussion highlights the paradox of a family life deeply scarred by the party—including the suicide of Xi’s sister and the exile of the young Jinping—yet remaining fundamentally committed to the party’s survival. This history reveals why the current Chinese leadership rejects liberal reform, viewing the party as the only mechanism capable of preventing national collapse. These experiences with trauma and totalizing authority explain the current regime's emphasis on absolute discipline and ideological conformity.