Contemporary China Review 2002 Summer Issue

The summer of 2022 is an unusual one. The Russian-Ukrainian war shifted from a stalemate to a strategic counter-offensive in Ukraine. Against the backdrop of this huge geopolitical conflict, Taiwan Strait also became tense again with the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. The clamor for military unification with Taiwan by force in mainland China has been overwhelming. Xi Jinping's call with Biden conveyed that this is not the time for a full-blown crisis to break out. When war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait will depend on the CCP's mindset. However, once the CCP regime falls into the hands of an emperor for life, the outbreak of war will be unpredictable. Several articles analyze Xi Jinping's mentality, psychology, and personality in this issue, which provide a glimpse of the "dictatorial factor" behind the Taiwan Strait crisis. Another article analyzing the 50-year history of US-China relations can also help readers understand the direction of US-China relations and the background of the Taiwan Strait crisis.
With the globalized economy at a crossroads, the CCP has taken a big step backward from a semi-market economy to a state-planned economy and is facing a huge economic crisis in the financial, manufacturing to real estate sectors. To divert an economic, social, and political crisis, CCP will solve domestic crises with war. This issue presents a scholarly monography that gives us a glimpse into the social psychology of the general public in mainland China today, especially the underestimated dynamics of the little pinko groups that are driving China toward the mistaken path. Meanwhile, the misunderstanding and misperception of the "Chinese revolution" not only camouflage the legitimacy of the CCP regime but also feed into a false "institutional confidence" for Xi Jinping- who boasts to point out the direction of global development.