A Direct Window into Governance of China

By Yukteshwar Kumar

Italian tourists pose for a group photo after experiencing Tai Chi at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, July 9, 2024. China has introduced unilateral visa-free entry and mutual visa exemption agreements with 76 countries as of September, 2025, as part of its efforts to facilitate international exchange. (Photo by Ju Huanzong/Xinhua)

The fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, published by Foreign Languages Press in July 2025, is explicitly framed as a vehicle for disseminating Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. In practice, this means the volume functions as an inspiring sourcebook to understand China. According to an official statement, the book also aims to keep the international community apprised of the “latest developments” in Xi’s thought and to encourage building a community with a shared future for humanity. In effect, the volume is intended as an authoritative guide — a chance to hear Xi in his own words — making it invaluable for sinologists and China watchers seeking to better understand China.

Economic and Trade Policies

A major thread throughout Volume V is China’s economic agenda, especially the ongoing reform and opening up. Xi’s own speeches repeatedly reaffirm that China’s policy of opening up remains fundamental: In a November 2022 address at the fifth China International Import Expo, he declared that “China remains committed to the fundamental national policy of opening up to the outside world… and adheres to the right course in economic globalization.” He went on to say that “openness is a key driving force behind the progress of human civilizations and an intrinsic path toward global prosperity and development.” This famous line underscores the volume’s optimistic assertion that China’s prosperity is entwined with global cooperation. Xi uses such occasions to pledge to expand imports of quality goods and services, thereby helping foreign exporters, while simultaneously harnessing China’s huge domestic market as a growth engine. Thus, the book’s tone is consistently pro-openness and pro-globalization, even as it emphasizes China’s economic self-reliance and rule-of-law standards in tandem.

Xi also elaborates on the idea of “high-standard opening up.” He urges the upgrading of China’s pilot free trade zones and integration of advanced economic rules. For example, the volume includes directives to “upgrade pilot free trade zones” and “establish pilot zones for Silk Road e-commerce cooperation.” Xi reiterates commitments to trade and investment liberalization while opposing protectionism and sanctions. In short, Volume V emphasizes that China will remain a major “trading nation” as it opens ever wider.

In fact, the volume even quotes contemporary business figures to convey optimism. For example, at the APEC CEO Summit in November 2023, Xi invoked a popular aphorism: “China has become a synonym of the best investment destination, and that the ‘next China’ is still China.” This quip — drawing on a folk idiom — reflects the global business community’s confidence in China’s market scale and resilience.

International Cooperation and Global Vision

Beyond economics, Volume V conveys China’s diplomatic policy. Xi explicitly reaffirms that China will “work with all countries and all parties” to share opportunities from both its market and its institutional opening up. Consistently, China champions “true multilateralism” and rule-based international order. For instance, the country vows to “engage fully in WTO reform negotiations and promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.” China’s willingness to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) is also stressed. Such content underscores Xi’s commitment to globalization: Even as the speeches trumpet China’s self-confident path, they call for resisting unilateral coercion and building global consensus on development.

Xi often quotes classical poetry or idioms to illustrate a collective future: For example, he envisions a path out “after endless mountains and rivers” if the world embraces openness. He appeals to shared progress: “China is ready to work with all countries to practice true multilateralism, build more consensus for openness, jointly overcome the difficulties and challenges confronting global economic growth, and make sure that our commitment to openness will bring about broad prospects for global development.” In summation, the international sections portray China as a responsible stakeholder pledging win-win cooperation, whether on trade, climate, or international development. This global outlook is intended to communicate China’s vision to foreign audiences as much as to domestic readers.

Language and Cultural References

Xi’s writings are imbedded with the text of classical allusions and quotations from China’s literary tradition — frequent citations of poets from the Tang (618–906) and Song (960–1279) dynasties coupled with Confucian scholars and modern philosophers. Footnotes often explain such references, underscoring that Xi’s thought sees itself as part of a long Chinese intellectual line.

For policy analysts and academic readers, the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China can be indispensable: It systematically lays out the Party’s priorities and worldview. Its tone is assertively positive and optimistic about China’s path, reflecting confidence in the country’s rejuvenation. As such, the volume transcends mere nostalgia; it is also intended as a guidebook for implementation of policy and as a communiqué to the world.

The author is a sinologist at the University of Bath, UK, who once served as the first Asian deputy mayor of the city of Bath.