Over the next week, I'll be giving four book talks on "The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping" in Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia (thread). On Thursday November 13, I'll give a talk at SWPS University in Warsaw english.swps.pl/we-the-unive...

For this @nytimes.com @dhpierson.bsky.social article, Jon Czin and I share some thoughts about the ongoing purges in the People's Liberation Army www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/w...

We are very honored to host @iandenisjohnson.bsky.social and @josephtorigian.bsky.social for a discussion with @helenalegarda.bsky.social and Bernhard Bartsch on “Why China’s past matters: Understanding Xi Jinping and the CCP’s tight grip on history”.

Great cover! I’m really delighted to be a part of this, much thanks to @mmuscolino.bsky.social

Orville Schell also did a podcast on this publication that was just released: www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/xi-...

Shared some thoughts with @bloomberg.com @karishmajourno.bsky.social for this very interesting piece on Xi’s diplomacy www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

Berlin friends: Highly recommend Joseph’s groundbreaking research on Xi sr.!👇

This week and next, I'll be giving a handful of talks in Berlin (thread). On Wednesday November 5 at 4 pm, I'll give a book talk on The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping at Humboldt University. www.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/de/bereiche-...

In Vienna? On November 3 at 3 pm I'll present my book The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping at the University of Vienna. www.recet.at/event-news/e...

For @thetls.bsky.social , @katiestallard.bsky.social reviews new books on China by David Shambaugh, Dan Wang, Ben Vagle and Stephen Brooks, and me www.the-tls.com/politics-by-...

For Financial Times, Edward White writes about China's "red tourism" boom. Xi Jinping sees party history as a crucial element of a moral education system that inoculates young people against dangerous values. www.ft.com/content/7d01...

A new piece by @washingtonpost.com David Ignatius on the similarities and differences between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, with a thought from me on Xi. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

New podcast: @lowyinstitute.bsky.social Richard McGregor and I chat about the Xi family and the future of China podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/h...

This is an amazing paragraph from @josephtorigian.bsky.social ‘s biography of Xi Zhongxun: “The Party’s Interests Come First”. I want to know more about Puyi and Xi’s social interactions. One wonders exactly what they talked about. (Zhou here is Zhou Enlai).

Immersed in @josephtorigian.bsky.social 's always fascinating THE PARTY'S INTERESTS COME FIRST. It's exactly the kind of work that deepens and enriches my engagement w China: whose realities lie in the details of loyalty to Party, exercise of power, and not-always-scrupulous attention to morality.

If you’re in Italy, I’ll be doing three presentations there next week. On Monday October 27, I’ll do a book talk on The Party’s Interests Come First: the Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping in Milan at Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore aseri.unicatt.it/aseri-2025-t...

Thank you Neue Zürcher Zeitung for running an interview with me about the 4th plenum and my research on Chinese politics www.nzz.ch/internationa...

In a review of “The Party’s Interests Come First” by Joseph Torigian, Orville Schell discusses how both Xi Jinping and his father, Xi Zhongxun, were “shaped by revolutionary hardship and struggle.”

Grandir pendant la Révolution culturelle, c’est apprendre la violence. Enfant, Xi se battait avec des ceintures et subissait des humiliations — parfois par sa mère. @josephtorigian.bsky.social raconte une histoire de famille essentielle pour comprendre la Chine. legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2025/10/1...

I've seen a little imprecision about the place and time of Deng Xiaoping's remarks about rare earths. I believe he referred to them in Shanghai on February 6, 1991 (not in Inner Mongolia and not during Southern Tour). He was inspecting Shanghai Volkswagen. His exact words were:

Huge thanks to @asiasociety.org Orville Schell and @foreignaffairs.com for this long and wonderful new review of my book The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/mise...

Thanks @grandcontinent.bsky.social for running this excerpt of my book on Xi Zhongxun, father of Xi Jinping, on the eve of the 4th plenum (in French) legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2025/10/1...

If you're in Switzerland I'll be giving three book talks on The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping this week. On October 20, the University of Basel will host me at 6:15 pm. europa.unibas.ch/de/aktuelles...

"The Party's Interests Come First" reviewed in De Groene Amsterdammer (Dutch) newspaper: "a fascinating account of the life of a man with obsessive ideals and terrible experiences, of someone who rose high and fell deeply" www.groene.nl/artikel/vere...

Who is Sanae Takaichi, and how did she go from modest background to become the leader of Japan's LBP, and presumably the first female Prime Minister? @tobiasharris.bsky.social explains. Listen here: www.youtube.com/shorts/d3heB... Watch the full version: www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0BV...

A little personal news: I'm delighted to start as a senior fellow at @cfr.org , a real homecoming since my first job out of undergrad was working as a research associate there for Adam Segal. www.cfr.org/news-release...

If you're in Paris, I'll be giving a couple talks there this week. On Wednesday October 15 at 5:30 pm, Jérôme Doyon and Francoise Mengin will host me at Sciences Po. www.sciencespo.fr/ceri-eveneme...

📖 Join us for an event on October 13th with Joseph Torigian, where he will discuss his book ‘The Party’s Interests Come First - The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping’ More info & registration: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/b64806...

For @nrc.nl (Dutch), @tabithaspeelman.bsky.social reviews my biography of Xi Jinping's father Zhongxun: "brings a tough yet emotionally complex man to life and serves as a history of Chinese elite politics" www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...

If you're in the Netherlands, I'm giving a book talk on "The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping" at 4 pm at the University of Leiden on October 13 (hosted by Frank Pieke) www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/20...

Delighted that Joseph Torigian (@josephtorigian.bsky.social) will be joining us in Glasgow for our Scottish Centre for China Research seminar series. Join us! Wed 8 Oct 4pm UK time To join online register via link at: www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/...

Thank you to @josephtorigian.bsky.social for joining us today for a fascinating discussion on Xi Jinping and the influence of his father, Xi Zhongxun, on his leadership and worldview.

Here's my recent talk at CIW about how a Maoist approach to "environmental protection" emerged during the Cultural Revolution--an important period wherein many leaders and people began to seriously think about and grapple with the externalities of industrialization. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfpC...

So grateful to @fgodement.bsky.social dement for this long and very thoughtful review of my book The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping (en français) www.institutmontaigne.org/expressions/...

Over the next few weeks I’ll be giving a handful of talks in the UK (thread). On Friday September 26 I’ll give a talk at Oxford at noon. talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/person...

Michael Easson reviews Linda Jaivin's "BOMBARD THE HEADQUARTERS! THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION IN CHINA" and my "THE PARTY’S INTERESTS COME FIRST. THE LIFE OF XI ZHONGXUN, FATHER OF XI JINPING" for The Sydney Institute thesydneyinstitute.com.au/blog/worlds-...

Cool to see my book on sale at the Gilded Acorn in London

I have had a few chats with @josephtorigian.bsky.social on his book but this one really turned out well and we addressed some core issues about the party and its history www.ncuscr.org/video/the-pa...

Thanks so much @billbishop.bsky.social for speaking to me today about my biography of Xi Jinping’s father Zhongxun, the recent parade in Beijing, the looming succession, the role of history in Chinese politics, and other topics sinocism.com/p/joseph-tor...

Thanks Het Financieele Dagblad for reviewing my biography of Xi Zhongxun, father of Jinping: "Enlivened with meeting minutes and memoirs of politicians, reads smoothly like the Chinese version of the Netflix series House of Cards." fd.nl/samenleving/...

"For both Xi and Putin, victory then was costly, but incomplete. Although the war concluded before they were born, it resonates with them differently from other contemporary world leaders." @josephtorigian.bsky.social on today's military parade in Beijing.

I'll be on the BBC Newshour with Shaun Ley at around 9:12 am EST to talk about the military parade in Beijing bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live/bbc_world_service

In June 1983, Xi Zhongxun, the father of Xi Jinping, hosted Kim Jong-il, the father of Kim Jong-un, in Beijing. They watched a performance by Peng Liyuan, who years later would marry Xi Jinping.

Spoke to @dhpierson.bsky.social @nytimes.com about the military parade in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII that will start in a few hours www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/w...

New from me: an op-ed on what the Sept 3 military parade to commemorate the end of WWII means for Xi and Putin. Thanks to Jordan Schneider for running it at ChinaTalk. www.chinatalk.media/p/parading-t...

At around 11 am EST today, I'll be on @cnnipr.bsky.social One World to speak with Zain Asher and @biannagolodryga.bsky.social about the military parade in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII

Shared some thoughts with Christian Shepherd @washingtonpost.com on the recent purges in the People's Liberation Army www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Kim Jong Un will attend the military parade in Beijing next week. Good timing for my brand new podcast with @nknewsorg.bsky.social on the remarkable role of Xi Jinping's father in navigating DPRK succession politics and nudging Pyongyang toward reform in the 80s. www.nknews.org/category/nor...

#histbookchat #sinology This is a great deal!! Paid a small fortune for mine but was worth it. Great book and a fascinating insight to a man I knew very little about. My only caveat is that, for the general reader, a little background on China & CCP history might be useful - but get it anyway!😂

The Party’s Interests Come 50% off! From now through September 8, you can get my biography of Xi Zhongxun, the father of Xi Jinping, for only $25 on the Stanford University Press website. www.sup.org/books/histor...