Xi's tenet of comprehensive governance

President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Washington at a time when most China watchers in the United States have become pessimistic about Sino-US relations. While the optimum strategy for both sides is to focus on issues that unite us - economic growth, climate change, green tech, regional wars, terrorism, organized crime, pandemics - US policymakers should also understand what is really going on in China.

The general perception among US-based China experts is that, in terms of political reform and civil society, China is regressing.

These are multifaceted issues and there is misunderstanding, but this is precisely why anyone concerned with China should be familiar with Xi's "Four Comprehensives", his overarching political theory. Foreigners often dismiss the political aphorisms of China's leaders as simplistic sloganeering, but I know how important they are. I've had private conversations and conducted public interviews (for Closer To China on CCTV News) - and here is what I've found.