China’s 12th National People’s Congress has concluded and Xi Jinping assumed the presidency of a country that is at a domestic crossroads and is simultaneously a rising international power. Competing narratives speculate that Xi could be a more militarist or nationalist leader, a leader facing tremendous demands for both renewed economic and political reform, and someone who is a product of the system and ultimately doomed to protect it.
Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd believes this is a moment when the United States should seize the initiative to steer the narrative in a productive direction. Rudd joined Carnegie’s Douglas H. Paal to offer an outlook on the future of the Asia-Pacific region, and provide a new strategic roadmap for Sino-American relations.
