Memorial Day Sale: May 12-27
$25.70 with 27 percent savings
List Price: $34.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Saturday, May 17 to Nashville 37217 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Tomorrow, May 13.
In Stock
$$25.70 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$25.70
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Kevin Rudd
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

On Xi Jinping: How Xi's Marxist Nationalism is Shaping China and the World

by Kevin Rudd (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 37 ratings
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$25.70","priceAmount":25.70,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"25","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"70","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"8MHJ8%2Fios9xYrL6QjyebT12CpiBAhI8q5YMdOeoecjWxeqKmVnlgXxZ1gTTU6Vjgrt5BeKB1mK17egDMTOGM2etj5NqYGt6JAcs4Hs9saDHRdAeCCGvfQliXo71XnTMLnpGSggxN0Qd7zE9b3htuQw%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

An authoritative account of Xi Jinping's worldview and how it drives Chinese behaviour both domestically and on the world stage.

In his new book, On Xi Jinping, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd provides an authoritative account of the ideological worldview driving Chinese behaviour both domestically and on the world stage--that of President Xi Jinping, who now hold near-total control over the Chinese Communist Party and is now, in effect, president-for-life. Rudd argues that Xi's worldview differs significantly from those of the leaders who preceded him, and that this ideological shift is reflected in the real world of Chinese policy and behaviour.

Focusing on China's domestic politics, political economy, and foreign policy, Rudd characterises Xi Jinping's ideological framing of the world as "Marxist-Leninist nationalism." According to Rudd, Xi's notion of Leninism has taken the party and Chinese politics further to the left in comparison to his predecessors. Also, his Marxism has also taken Chinese economic thinking to the left-in a more decisively more statist direction and away from the historical dynamism of the private sector. However, Chinese nationalism under Xi has moved further to the right- towards a much, harder-edged, foreign policy vision of China and a new determination to change the international status quo. Xi's worldview is an integrated one, where his national ideological vision for China's future is ultimately inseparable from his view on China's position in the region and the world. These changes in worldview are also reflected in Xi's broader rehabilitation of the concept of "struggle" as a legitimate concept for the conduct of both Chinese domestic and foreign policy--a struggle that need not necessarily always be peaceful.

Finally, Xi's ideological worldview also exhibits a new level of nationalist self-confidence about China's future--derived from China's historical and civilizational strengths but reinforced by his Marxist-Leninist concept of historical determinism and the belief that the tides of history are now on firmly China's side. A powerful analysis of the worldview of arguably the most consequential world leader of our era, this will be essential reading for anyone interested in how Xi is transforming both China and the international order, and, most importantly, why?
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. ISBN-10
    019776603X
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0197766033
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    October 15, 2024
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6.46 x 1.65 x 9.48 inches
  7. Print length
    624 pages
Next slide of product details

Frequently bought together

On Xi Jinping: How Xi's Marxist Nationalism is Shaping China and the World
This item: On Xi Jinping: How Xi's Marxist Nationalism is Shaping China and the World
$18.59
Get it May 19 - 23
Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by indoobestsellers.
+
The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict between the US and Xi Jinping's China
$17.89
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 17
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Red Emperor: Xi Jinping and His New China
$18.99
Get it as soon as Monday, Oct 27
This title will be released on October 21, 2025.
Pre-order now.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.
Popular Highlights in this book
What are popular highlights?
Previous page
  1. Xi’s China now openly challenges the political values underpinning the preexisting international order and offers instead an alternative authoritarian development model for the world.
    Highlighted by 84 Kindle readers
  2. The book’s thesis is that Xi has embarked on an integrated ideological campaign of what I call ‘Marxist Nationalism’—taking Chinese politics to the Leninist left, Chinese economics to the Marxist left, and Chinese foreign policy to the nationalist right.
    Highlighted by 77 Kindle readers
  3. Xi’s intention is not just to change China. It is also to change the international order itself, underpinned by an increasingly powerful China as the emerging geo-political and geo-economic fulcrum of that order. And all this is made doubly possible by what Xi sees as the inexorable decline of the United States and the West.
    Highlighted by 68 Kindle readers
Next page

From the Publisher

On Xi Jinping

On Xi Jinping

On Xi Jinping

On Xi Jinping

On Xi Jinping

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Rudd's book helps to better understand a man who is likely to shape China and world politics for a long time to come. Xi takes ideology very seriously. We should do the same." -- Angela Köckritz, Books for the Winter 2024, Table Media

""[An] incisive new book... adds a wealth of context to what animates Xi's grim determination." -- James Kynge, Financial Times

"Essential reading... For British readers, Rudd's book may take work: it's serious scholarship. But it's worth it to make clear that Xi's ideological framework is essential to any assessment of the threat from China...Rudd's warning has never been more timely:"We ignore Xi's clarity of ideological purpose at our peril."" -- Tom Tugendhat, Daily Telegraph

"magnificent...the book is a clarion call for free and open countries to wake up." -- Charles Parton, Spectator

"[A] monumental new take on Xi... [Rudd] understands the system [in China] in ways few of his peers can claim to... [He] is particularly good at showing how the strangely heterodox mixture of ideas from Marx, Mao and, in recent years, Confucius seen in China's domestic politics relate to the outside world." -- Kerry Brown, Times Literary Supplement

"A book of singular importance...It's distinctive, and therefore intensely valuable, and a classically Rudd enterprise because it involved reading, analysing and putting into Chinese and communist context every significant thing Xi has ever said or written." -- Greg Sheridan, The Australian

"Kevin Rudd shows how taking Xi's ideology seriously helps us to better understand Chinese politics and to make policies that reduce the likelihood of conflict." -- Neil Thomas , Australian Book Review

"[Xi Jinping's] worldview is superbly analysed in Kevin Rudd's new book...which should be read by specialists, the public and incoming Trump officials alike." -- Michael Pezzullo , The Strategist

"an essential read" -- Gunjan Singh, Business Standard

"A highly impressive tome - scholarly, authoritative, and surprisingly lucid for such a dense endeavour." -- Sang-Hwa Lee, The Article

"Xi Jinping is one of the most important, but most unknowable leaders of the modern world. Kevin Rudd uses meticulous readings of Chinese sources and deep knowledge of Beijing politics to interpret Xi's thinking in a fascinating and revealing way that is both deeply scholarly and informed by Rudd's own understanding of leadership." -- Rana Mitter, ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations, Harvard Kennedy School

"Public servant, prime minister, diplomat, scholar--Kevin Rudd's resume is also a stellar CV for the elite caste of scholar-bureaucrats that managed the Chinese empire for over a millennium. On Xi Jinping focusses the experience of a political practitioner engaged with China since his teenage years to analyse Xi Jinpingâs Party Empire and its global ambitions. Rudd also attempts the seemingly impossible by offering words of guidance and hope in this darkling age." -- Geremie R. Barmé, editor of the China Heritage

"Understanding Xi Jinping's worldview and what it means for China and us, is more crucial now than ever. Rudd's superb analysis provides the reader with a comprehensive guide to Xi's thinking on domestic policy and global affairs. Rudd takes Xi's words seriously and teases out the consequences: a politics and economics that has moved to the left and a foreign policy that has turned to a form of rightist nationalism. Rudd encapsulates these processes with the phrase 'Marist-Leninist Nationalism.' This work is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding where China has come from, where it is heading and the consequences for all of us." -- Anthony J. Saich, Daewoo Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

"How has Xi Jinping's 'Marxist-Nationalism' shaped China and its relations with the world? No one is better placed than Kevin Rudd to answer these questions, and he does so convincingly in these illuminating pages. This is an essential book for everyone interested in the future of China." -- Joseph S. Nye, Author of A Life in the American Century

"In this book, Kevin Rudd provides all who care about peace a huge service. Drawing on his extraordinary knowledge of China and the Chinese system, Rudd reveals a side of Xi Jinping only comprehensible through his extensive ideological writings--giving us all unique insights into a man upon whom much of the future depends and helping scholars and policymakers alike better understand Xiâs motives and anticipate his actions. A remarkable read!" -- Meghan L. O'Sullivan, Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Jeane Kirpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government

"Understanding Xi Jinping, his plans for China, and how they will affect the world, is the central challenge for the United States and policymakers everywhere. As a foreign policy practitioner, a scholar, a Chinese language speaker, and a former world leader himself, Kevin Rudd is uniquely well placed to answer the question of what Xi Jinping actually believes. He does so brilliantly by drawing on Chinese primary sources, in-depth research, and a lifetime of experience dealing with China's leadership." -- Stephen J. Hadley, National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush

"A very insightful analysis on Chinese politics, economics, and foreign policy under Xi Jinping's leadership, focusing on the critical role of ideology... a very well written and organised book." -- John West, Australian Outlook

"Best books of 2024: Politics "both entertaining and scholarly" -- Gideon Rachman, Financial Times

"The blend of Marxism and nationalism under Xi's leadership is not just reshaping China-it's a strategy that's impacting geopolitics worldwide." -- S&G Consulting Firm

"On Xi Jinping is a remarkable feat of research, which delivers a clear, compelling argument as to what Xi really believes, and how he plans to remake China and the world." -- Katie Stallard, New Statesman

"The book is an unusual production: a self consciously academic book written by a high-profile practitioner." -- Ian Hall, International Affairs

"Elegantly written" -- Elizabeth Economy, Foreign Affairs

About the Author

Kevin Rudd is former Prime Minister and former Foreign Minister of Australia. He is also former President of the Asia Society and the current Australian Ambassador to the United States. He has a PhD in politics from Oxford University and is the author of The Avoidable War (2022), among other books.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press (October 15, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 019776603X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0197766033
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.3 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.46 x 1.65 x 9.48 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Kevin Rudd

Kevin Rudd

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
37 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Denis Timko
    5.0 out of 5 stars Collision course
    Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    An exhaustively researched analysis of Xi Jinping and his impact on not only China, but the world itself. A serious book that needs to be read and used as a framework for gaining some insights into how , going forward, China is likely to behave and what to look for as clues about the direction China is taking on the key issues of today. There’s a lot going on. If the US has any real hope of continuing to prosper and provide a safe and secure environment for its citizens it’s important its citizens educate themselves about who they’re dealing with. This book is a great place to start or improve one’s knowledge and awareness of what’s coming down the road. Read it carefully and reflect on what it says.
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Alexander Zabezhinsky
    5.0 out of 5 stars The best book to understand modern China
    Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The most in-depth book on politics, economics and governance in China. Presents quite clearly the change that has happened and continues to happen in China under the leadership of Xi. Few people in the West know and understand China as deeply as Kevin Rudd. I am personally in the world of investments and the book clearly sets out for me the concept regarding investments in China.
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • A. Menon
    4.0 out of 5 stars A perspective on Xi Xinping's domestic move to the left
    Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    On Xi Jinping is Kevin Rudd's second book on China and its leadership's priorities in the last few years. This work is an extension of his Doctoral Thesis he recently submitted on the study of Xi Jinping and his ideological priorities of expanding Marxist-Leninism within the Party while also moving China to the right on a foreign policy agenda. It is a very thorough work surveying the public works of Xi as well as inclusive of diplomatic commentary on the change of nature in diplomatic encounters with China. It is largely a work of academic political science and so is quite dry to read at times. Overall the book contains a thorough message that China's ideological move to the left is both substantial and will be persistent under Xi with all moves away from this direction ultimately being tactical. It also contains the message that China's international ambitions will continue to grow as its domestic strength has and its belief in its own wisdom for global governance norms will be on display to a greater and more forceful degree than the past.

    On Xi Jinping is an expansive book covering most aspects of Xi Jinping thought and how it influences governance through 16 chapters. The author begins with a historical overview of what he is discussing and what the terminology definitions are. There is a long legacy of Marxist intellectual infrastructure which is used by the party to frame its policy initiatives as well as the framework for analyzing history. The author thus discusses dialectic materialism and the role of contradictions for framing the Party's world view and in particular Xi Jinping's views on the current challenges China faces as a function of its past decisions. The longer cycles of history are thus more deeply embedded in Xi's ideology than the business cycle focus of much of the West at the expense of coherent long term strategy. One novel quote which the author clears up as an effective mis-quote is that by Zhou Enlai when asked about the French Revolution with the response being we need more time to assess in which Zhou was apparently assuming the query was about recent French protests rather than the French Revolution. The author moves in to how China's world view started to measurably change under Xi with increased clampdowns domestically followed by more abrasive behavior externally. These were a distinct shifts marked a break from the operating model under Deng and inherited by Hu and Jiang Zemin. Domestically the increased materialism and inequality inducing growth that was introduced in the reform periods was deemed to have gone too far and relying on the Marxist historical analysis framework was leading to new contradictions which needed to be addressed. Xi in particular felt that the party's credibility was deeply at risk by the rising corruption within the party and the growing inequality in society. The response to this was a dramatic anti-corruption and rectification agenda that continues to this day.

    These beliefs about the causes of China's growing domestic incoherence with the original governing philosophy of the party led to a significant re-orientation of priorities to embedding the state back into the economy more aggressively and containing the animal spirits of the private sector. The book details all that went into this and at some level Xi tried to address much of the concerns that are prevalent everywhere but with little concern or regret for all of the unintended consequences of trying to re-engineer the political economy. This is deemed to be a necessary evil and as such is a core message of the book, the actions being taken are ideological over practical and the beliefs of Xi are driven by ideology rather than results. Of course the leadership pays attention to results but only to adjust tactically and there is an acknowledgement that the adjustment will be painful but inescapable. This is the main takeaway but it is also not particularly insightful as it is where the consensus is and has been for 2 years now.

    The author moves on to the move to the right on promotion of nationalism and projection of power abroad. This is another multi year and multi-faceted agenda to increase the role of China in governing world affairs. Here the author argues that China under Xi is trying to re-orient the global governance structure away from US centric and towards one where China's wisdom is deferred to and it's interests are not contested. The author includes personal discussions with diplomats on their real world analysis of the changing diplomatic exchanges with China and the increased abrasiveness of them.

    Overall there are several different weaved aspects of how Xi's governing philosophy is affecting how China interacts with itself and with the world that are to the left from the Deng era domestically and to the right globally with the rise of nationalism. This is deeply strategic under Xi and tactical deviations are merely to manage a path but the ideologically determined strategic goals will not waver under Xi. After many years of managing mini-crisis with partial resolutions being the norm, most people see this as obvious now and those hoping for any dramatic shift back to greater market involvement and westernization are dismissed easily. As such this book is largely just summarizing from a political philosophy perspective why the agenda has been set as it has and how to interpret it. From that lens it is an informative read.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • CarlosCC
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muy recomendable
    Reviewed in Spain on March 21, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Un libro que todos aquellos que estén interesados en la geopolítica y sientan interés en ver hacia donde podría ir el mundo en los próximos años, deben leer, puesto que la evolución de la política china nos afectará a todos. El libro está muy bien documentado y Kevin Rudd demuestra ser un experto en la materia. Creo que lo más interesante de este libro es que analizando el pensamiento de Xi Jinping y cómo ha ido evolucionando la política interna y exterior de China desde que llegó al poder, permite predecir como podría seguir esa evolución.
    Report
  • Niall O'Connor
    5.0 out of 5 stars On Contradiction
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    An extremely timely and well written introduction to the Xi, for which Rudd has to be warmly congraulated. Nonetheless, I am personally not convinced as regards the conclusions/predictions that Rudd comes to in the book.

    Mao’s On Contradiction is clear that contradictions, whether in society or politics, are inherently unpredictable and can never be fully dissected or broken down into simple terms. As Mao puts it, contradictions exist within contradictions, and their resolution is contingent on how these contradictions unfold over time. This process is far from deterministic, meaning that the outcome of any contradiction—whether in politics, economics, or ideology—cannot be known in advance. This is consistent with Badiou's notion of the Event, which suggests that historical developments and political shifts often emerge unexpectedly, defined by radical breaks from the existing order, rather than by gradual, predictable trajectories.

    In this light, Rudd’s predictions about Xi’s future actions become problematic. Rudd attempts to forecast China’s trajectory based on a linear interpretation of Xi's Marxist-Leninist ideology, presupposing a level of predictability that contradicts the very dialectical foundations upon which Xi’s ideology rests. By predicting Xi’s moves based on ideological purity or supposed shifts, Rudd overlooks the contingent, evolving nature of Xi's approach.

    Xi's own embrace of Marxist-Leninist dialectical thinking involves recognizing that contradictions are fluid, and their resolution is not preordained but determined by dynamic, contingent factors. Xi has famously articulated Marxism-Leninism as the Party’s weapon of thought, suggesting a flexible approach to contradictions that is highly attuned to changing conditions. The strategic decisions Xi makes are contingent upon the evolving dynamics of both internal Chinese politics and the global geopolitical environment. This makes Xi’s political approach inherently unpredictable and marks a clear departure from Rudd’s linear predictions.

    For instance, Xi’s handling of China’s relationship with the U.S. during the trade war cannot be fully understood by simply mapping it onto a set of predictive models based on his Marxist-Leninist ideology. Xi’s decisions are, at their core, contingent on unfolding contradictions—domestic and international—and cannot be reduced to an ideological template that predicts a specific course of action. Predictions about Xi’s future behavior that don’t account for this contingent, dialectical unfolding of contradictions miss the core philosophical underpinnings of his thought.

    Rudd’s tendency to make specific predictions about Xi’s future moves, particularly in terms of foreign policy and economic strategy, becomes a non-sequitur when viewed through the lens of dialectical materialism. If contradictions are inherently unpredictable, then to claim that Xi will pursue specific strategies based on an ideological framework risks reducing Marxist-Leninist dialectics to a rigid, deterministic system. In reality, the outcome of contradictions is contingent upon historical moments and unforeseen developments—just as Badiou’s Event emphasizes the radical unpredictability of historical shifts.

    The dialectical method employed by Xi—echoing Mao’s conception of contradictions—would lead us to understand that Xi’s actions are not the result of inevitable ideological progression but rather the product of a contingent unfolding. Any attempt to predict Xi’s actions with certainty, as Rudd does, neglects the fluidity of the contradictions in play, the potential for radical shifts, and the unpredictable nature of the political landscape. Therefore, Rudd’s predictions about Xi’s trajectory can be seen as a philosophical misstep, given the inherent contingency and unpredictability at the heart of Xi's dialectical Marxist-Leninist framework.

    Rudd’s thesis falls short because it misunderstands the dialectical nature of Xi’s Marxist-Leninism, reducing it to a deterministic framework that allows for specific predictions about future actions. However, as Mao’s On Contradiction and Badiou's notion of the Event make clear, contradictions and their resolution are inherently contingent, unpredictable, and subject to radical breaks rather than gradual developments. This makes Rudd’s predictions about Xi’s future policy moves not just problematic, but a philosophical non-sequitur, given the dialectical and contingent nature of Marxist-Leninist thought as embraced by Xi. Understanding Xi’s leadership requires more than ideological analysis or predictive forecasting; it demands an appreciation of the unpredictability of political decisions and the contingent nature of the contradictions that define both Chinese domestic politics and global geopolitics.
    Report
  • Laetitia Strauch-Bonart
    5.0 out of 5 stars Le livre pour comprendre Xi
    Reviewed in France on February 10, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Un ouvrage impressionnant par son exhaustivité et sa fluidité.
    Report