https://www.scmp.com/rss/323461/feed Eduardo Araral is vice-dean of research and associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. Richard Heydarian is a Manila-based academic and author of Asia’s New Battlefield: The USA, China, and the Struggle for Western Pacific. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The 19th congress of the Chinese Communist Party is around the corner and speculation abounds as to how China’s political order will evolve. Western observers wonder what is it about China’s political model that acts as a check on President Xi Jinping, whose power seems ever growing. In 2016, Xi was appointed as a “core leader” with the same powers and status as Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin. The 19th congress is significant because Xi will appoint five new members of the powerful... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2115497/chinas-political-system-has-effective-checks-power-even-xi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2115497/chinas-political-system-has-effective-checks-power-even-xi?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Oct 2017 09:00:00 +0000 When Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte meets his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping (習近平) this week, two questions will be on the minds of international observers. First, what sort of geopolitical game is Duterte playing? Second, will he cross the Rubicon over to China, as he has repeatedly threatened to do in recent weeks, and thereby fundamentally alter the geopolitical equation in East Asia? Why Duterte’s leaving behind his jet ski on his trip to China The answer to the first question... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2028741/playing-us-against-china-may-prove-smart-move-rodrigo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2028741/playing-us-against-china-may-prove-smart-move-rodrigo?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Oct 2016 09:00:15 +0000