Under Xi Jinping, China is moving steadily away from the pragmatic authoritarianism of the reform era toward the restoration of Mao-style totalitarianism. Two recent books argue that Xi’s political ascent was no historical accident, but a structural feature of China’s political system.
LONDON—The lead-up to US President Donald Trump’s two-day summit with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, reflected the prevailing assumption within his administration that China can be treated as another rising power willing to negotiate pragmatic deals with the incumbent global hegemon.