https://www.scmp.com/rss/306523/feed Robert Lawrence Kuhn is a public intellectual, international corporate strategist and investment banker, and a China political/economics commentator featured on the BBC, CNN, Bloomberg. For more than 25 years, he has worked with China’s leaders. He has published over 30 books, including How China’s Leaders Think (featuring President Xi Jinping), and The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin. He is the host of Closer to China with R.L.Kuhn on CCTV News. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com When I woke to the news of Jiang Zemin’s death, I felt as if I had lost a member of my own family – that’s what happens when one dedicates years to writing a biography. Jiang loved learning and speaking foreign languages – he had decent knowledge of English, Russian and Romanian, and familiarity with others – and he enjoyed surprising foreigners with his skills. Some may have mocked Jiang’s showboating, but languages enhanced his cross-cultural sense. At a private dinner, Jiang announced that... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202126/history-will-be-kind-meticulous-and-curious-jiang-zemin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202126/history-will-be-kind-meticulous-and-curious-jiang-zemin?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Dec 2022 05:30:10 +0000 The sixth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party, according to the official language, “comprehensively reviews the major achievements made and the historical experience accumulated during the Party’s 100 years of struggle”. As the party sees it, the sixth plenum stands at a “new historical starting point” of the “second centenary goal” – to transform China into a fully modernised, socialist nation by the 100th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China in 2049 –... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3155369/sixth-plenum-xi-helm-new-era-when-china-becomes-strong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3155369/sixth-plenum-xi-helm-new-era-when-china-becomes-strong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Nov 2021 17:30:21 +0000 The free fall in US-China relations has significantly heightened the chances for escalation or miscalculation. No doubt the US instituted, unilaterally, disruptive policies: Congressional acts related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong; restricting Huawei’s access to US technology; seeking to limit foreign (read “Chinese”) students; and now talk of prohibiting US visas for over 90 million Communist Party members, the vast majority of whom are not involved in policy. But why does such a tough stand... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3094509/anti-china-rhetoric-not-just-us-election-bluster-time-around?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3094509/anti-china-rhetoric-not-just-us-election-bluster-time-around?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jul 2020 17:00:09 +0000 I cannot imagine richer nutrients for the novel coronavirus to reproduce and spread, to flourish globally, than the United States and China continuing to descend into unabashed and undisguised rivalry, with escalating accusations each against the other. Nourish the virus with US-China competition. Or starve the virus with US-China cooperation. Never has such cooperation been needed more urgently – to battle and contain the pandemic and to sustain and bolster the world economy. Containing the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3076770/how-china-can-end-us-rivalry-and-realise-its-vision-shared-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3076770/how-china-can-end-us-rivalry-and-realise-its-vision-shared-future?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2020 19:00:15 +0000 I take it seriously when the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China, China’s highest authority, calls the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic “a major test of China's system and capacity for governance” – a phrase of such significance that in my 30-plus years of watching China, I do not recall the like.  Let me explain why I am confident – why the world should be confident – that China will overcome the epidemic. I offer three reasons: China’s commitment,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3050255/why-chinas-commitment-and-ability-contain-coronavirus-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3050255/why-chinas-commitment-and-ability-contain-coronavirus-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Feb 2020 22:45:08 +0000 With its new foreign investment law, China is backing its words with deeds. Foreign critics, quick to stress the law’s lack of specifics, should appreciate China’s commitment and process. China has become the champion of globalisation, propounding the overarching benefits of free trade, and by proposing to open up its own markets further, China seeks to align its domestic policy with its international strategy. Years in the making, the foreign investment law exemplifies the government’s... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/3001378/chinas-foreign-investment-law-will-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/3001378/chinas-foreign-investment-law-will-be?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Mar 2019 06:00:10 +0000 From Beijing and New York, I’m watching US-China trade negotiations with a sense of optimism. Cautious optimism, sure, but optimism nonetheless. Why do I buck the conventional wisdom of pundits who enumerate all the quite legitimate reasons for likely breakdown and protracted conflict? Here’s why. The dinner meeting between the two presidents, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, lasted well longer than planned. Xi began with a well-prepared, detailed presentation that lasted 45 minutes and impressed... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2178175/reason-why-us-china-trade-talks-will-work-its-personal-touch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2178175/reason-why-us-china-trade-talks-will-work-its-personal-touch?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Dec 2018 15:15:15 +0000 The first step in ending the US-China trade war is for each side to grasp thoroughly the other side’s arguments and ways of thinking as well as its positions and lists of demands. From China’s perspective, why did Trump start the trade war? Was it just the trade deficit or were there deeper reasons, like thwarting China’s rise? Usually when there’s a dispute, there’s disputation about which side started it. This time, there’s no debate. China said it would not fire the first shot, accusing the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2161782/us-china-trade-war-could-end-big-deal-through?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2161782/us-china-trade-war-could-end-big-deal-through?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Aug 2018 21:00:00 +0000 As someone who works for US-China understanding and roots for US-China partnerships, I’ve been concerned, but not worried, over what others have called “a looming trade war”. I’ve not worried because tariffs don’t work; they are blunt instruments in a globalised economy, penalising American companies and consumers as much as Chinese. Most American experts oppose tariffs, and President Donald Trump likes to make big deals after making big threats.  But I am now worried over what I will call “a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2143056/zte-ban-start-tech-war-between-china-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2143056/zte-ban-start-tech-war-between-china-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Apr 2018 10:00:30 +0000 To interview delegates and officials at the annual National People’s Congress in Beijing, interspersed with being interviewed in the international media about China abolishing term limits for its president, is to inhabit parallel universes. Delegates and officials focus on clusters of issues from controlling financial risk and reducing pollution to scientific innovation and business stimulation, plus enhancing and institutionalising China’s anti-corruption campaign with a powerful National... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2136309/xi-jinpings-power-has-purpose-one-person-see-china-through?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2136309/xi-jinpings-power-has-purpose-one-person-see-china-through?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Mar 2018 04:04:22 +0000 The significance of the new “principal contradiction” in Chinese society, established at the 19th Communist Party congress in October and advocated vigorously by President Xi Jinping, is underappreciated. It’s a surprisingly powerful lens for viewing China’s domestic policies. Two recent events in Beijing which have shaken public trust highlight why. The first was alleged child abuse at a kindergarten. When authorities claimed that the hard disk of the surveillance camera had broken and that the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2123239/china-under-xi-jinping-embarks-quest-win-trust-its-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2123239/china-under-xi-jinping-embarks-quest-win-trust-its-people?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Dec 2017 10:11:24 +0000 The “two sessions” in Beijing – the annual meetings of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference – offer some sense and insight about China’s governance. Attending them this year, I have come away with several impressions. One is the conjunction of two ways of thinking that Westerners would deem incompatible: stricter conformity and enforcement of political orthodoxy, and greater freedom and encouragement to critique government programmes. To... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2079109/chinas-two-sessions-delivers-core-message-xi-jinpings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2079109/chinas-two-sessions-delivers-core-message-xi-jinpings?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Mar 2017 07:35:23 +0000 When, at a recent party plenum, President Xi Jinping ( 習近平 ) was designated as “core” of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, some Western media were quick to condemn the rise of a new “strongman”. While recognising the significance of Xi as the core was correct, conjuring up visions of an emerging dictator was not. I recalled my meeting with Xi years earlier, when he was still party secretary of Zhejiang (浙江) province. Even then he was criticising “empty talk” and advising, “We should never... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2047173/why-china-needs-xi-jinping-its-core-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2047173/why-china-needs-xi-jinping-its-core-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Nov 2016 01:02:17 +0000 Click to read the Chinese translation of this article.  President Xi Jinping's state visit to Washington came at a time when most China experts in America had turned pessimistic about relations. Worse, some had come to believe that it has been all along an illusion to expect US-China relations to improve fundamentally, and that US policy on China must adopt more strategies bordering on "containment". READ MORE: Full coverage of Xi Jinping's US visit  Such pessimism was as pernicious as it was... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1863456/how-americas-china-watchers-misread-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1863456/how-americas-china-watchers-misread-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Oct 2015 01:30:00 +0000 With President Xi Jinping's state visit to Washington coming when most China watchers see the country as more autocratic domestically and more aggressive internationally, I've been in Beijing examining Xi's philosophy of governance and his new political theory, the "Four Comprehensives". The context is Xi's vision for "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" - which he calls the Chinese Dream. The target year for its initial realisation is 2020, by when China is supposed to become "a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1845021/xi-jinpings-four-comprehensives-show-depth-his-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1845021/xi-jinpings-four-comprehensives-show-depth-his-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jul 2015 05:15:45 +0000 On Thursday, the Communist Party is publishing in English an unprecedented series of books, titled Understanding the CPC. The launch, at BookExpo America in New York, where China is the "featured country of honour", is a milestone, marking the party's dual commitment to domestic renewal and international outreach. China is at a crossroads, and the outcomes will affect the entire world. The only way to grasp its current conditions and anticipate its future prospects is to understand what the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1809033/know-china-one-must-understand-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1809033/know-china-one-must-understand-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2015 08:42:16 +0000 The caller, a Chinese official I respect, asked that I black out October 8. Why, he wouldn't yet say. The project was an unprecedented, 500-plus page book, called Xi Jinping: The Governance of China; I was invited to speak at its launch on the Frankfurt Book Fair's opening day. That the book by Xi Jinping was released during the Hong Kong protests is coincidental, but the contrasting approaches to governance are instructive. Xi's book was published in nine languages at the same time, a massive... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1615766/xis-blueprint-rejuvenating-china-cuts-through-fear-and-confusion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1615766/xis-blueprint-rejuvenating-china-cuts-through-fear-and-confusion?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2014 09:15:00 +0000 In early 2012, in the run-up to the 18th Communist Party congress, I was asked to co-produce, host and write - for international audiences - a TV documentary series celebrating the achievements of China's then retiring leaders. It was not for me. Celebratory praise, I said, does not work for telling the real story of China. Instead, I offered, how about exploring the problems that China's new leaders, led by Xi Jinping , were going to face? Fast forward two years. China's Challenges, our... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1545402/why-china-wont-be-rushed-resolving-sovereignty-disputes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1545402/why-china-wont-be-rushed-resolving-sovereignty-disputes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2014 04:15:15 +0000 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to the Middle East and North Africa - Palestine, Israel, Algeria, Morocco and Saudi Arabia - is noteworthy on several levels. It recognises the importance of the region for China's energy security and it reflects the country's growing participation in world affairs. Both trends are likely to continue as China's position in the world rises and as it feels pressure to protect its vital interests. It is in this context that we explore China's Middle East... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1386790/china-carving-role-middle-eastern-affairs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1386790/china-carving-role-middle-eastern-affairs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Dec 2013 10:30:00 +0000 The Communist Party's third plenum is history - figuratively in that the crucial conclave has concluded and we have the results, and literally in that the transformative vision is truly historic. In his explanatory address to the party's Central Committee, President Xi Jinping said: "We must waste no time in deepening reform in important areas with even greater political courage and wisdom, firmly do away with all ideological concepts." He stressed that "the development of practice is boundless,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1379809/reform-blueprint-underscores-xi-jinpings-transformative?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1379809/reform-blueprint-underscores-xi-jinpings-transformative?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Dec 2013 19:45:49 +0000 For the past year, ever since Xi Jinping was confirmed as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, the big question has been: Is Xi a reformer? Now, after the third plenary session of the 18th Central Committee, we have our answer. It is neither "yes" nor "no". Without doubt, the third plenum institutes systemic reforms that seek to transform China's economy and society. Specifics will come later and implementation will take years, but major reform is finally policy, not rhetoric. It is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1355922/xi-proves-be-no-mao-follower-disciple-deng?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1355922/xi-proves-be-no-mao-follower-disciple-deng?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Nov 2013 09:45:00 +0000 I have a dream that, in a future Syria-like crisis, the US and China will be arm-in-arm allies, working together to convince others of the high-minded rectitude of their joint initiative to maintain peace and enhance prosperity. It is a dream, in truth, that would benefit China and the world - yet it is a dream, in reality, that China-watchers would dismiss as a "pipe dream". Pessimism prevails, which is why China-US disputations over Syria are worth examining. The spectre of US military strikes... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1309204/achieving-common-ground-china-us-foreign-policy-no-pipe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1309204/achieving-common-ground-china-us-foreign-policy-no-pipe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 This week, the fifth round of the US-China strategic and economic dialogue is being held under all-new co-chairs: US Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew, and China's State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Vice-Premier Wang Yang . While presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping developed some personal rapport at the recent Sunnylands summit, the issues of contention between the incumbent superpower and the emergent one remain vexing. Will anything now change? Look at the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1279625/time-redraw-mental-map-sino-us-issues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1279625/time-redraw-mental-map-sino-us-issues?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 What to make of President Xi Jinping, who holds his first summit with President Barack Obama this week? The hope is that Xi is a reformer, who will guide China through domestic transformation and to responsible statecraft. The fear is that Xi is a nationalist, who has set China on an aggressive, expansionist course of bullying its neighbours and confronting the US. The fear seems not unfounded. China has intensified its territorial claims, from island disputes with Japan to vast areas of the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1254093/xi-jinping-nationalist-and-reformer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1254093/xi-jinping-nationalist-and-reformer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000