At its 19th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, held October 2017, the CPC leadership boldly announced the dawn of a “New Era”–a new stage in the history of the CPC and of China, as it moved forward, under the leadership of the CPC toward the ultimate mandatory goal of establishing a communist society in China. We at the CPE believe that this marks the start of a set of initiatives that will substantially develop Marxist Leninist theory and the state and Communist Party structures that serve to operationalize its objectives and methods. For most outsiders much of this is both new and daunting. It is sometimes difficult to separate the myths and stereotypes of the failed European Marxist-Leninist experiment from the construction of the Chinese (and to some extent the Vietnamese) Party-State. Yet such an understanding is now essential for anyone who is likely to deal with China or its enterprises in the emerging context of global trade, international relations, or in the cyber sphere.
As part of CPE research and knowledge production and dissemination missions, CPE has embarked on a series of workshops, conferences and teach-ins to engage in a sustained consideration of the changes and developments in China after the 19th CPC Congress. These included a Roundtable and research in November 2017 (The Vanguard Leads: An Initial Consideration of the 19th Chinese Communist Party Congress; Round Table and Documents and Assessment); and then a set of events in March 2018 (The Vanguard Acts: A Focus on China at the Dawn of its “New Era” ).
During the Summer and Autumn of 2018, CPE will host a Roundtable and more formal conference on Chinese political and governance institutions in the aftermath of the reforms that followed the 19th CPC Congress. The events will take place on the campus of the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, and will be simulcast and recorded. More information followed below:
Roundtable: The Chinese People’s Consultative Conference 中国人民政协 (August 2018)
Concept Note
Program
Participants
Opening Statements
Video Recording
Proceedings (Summary)