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Hidden Forces

The Party Comes First: Power & Politics in Xi's China | Joseph Torigian

Hidden Forces

Demetri Kofinas

Government, Business

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 23 June 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In Episode 423 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Joseph Torigian, an expert on the politics of authoritarian regimes and the Chinese Communist Party, with a particular focus on elite power struggles, civil-military relations, and grand strategy. Torigian is also the author of a widely discussed new book titled “The Party’s Interests Come First,” a political biography and historical analysis of Xi Zhongxun, the father of Xi Jinping,  the leader of China and the head of the Chinese Communist Party.

In the first hour, Torigian and Kofinas trace the evolution, internal contradictions, and complex dynamics of political power and succession within the Chinese Communist Party, revealing the critical role that personal networks, ideological discipline, factional struggle, and narrative have played in shaping Chinese political history and culture. They explore several critical periods in Chinese communist party history, including Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, the period of reform and opening up under Deng Xiaoping, and the post-Tiananmen period following the 1989 crackdown.

In the second hour, Kofinas and Torigian focus on China's current leader, Xi Jinping, examining the political lessons he has drawn from the struggles endured by his father while exploring how those experiences have shaped his party loyalties and reinforced his commitment to restoring China’s greatness and securing its position on the global stage.

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Episode Recorded on 06/17/2025

Transcript

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0:00.0

What's up, everybody?

0:02.0

My name is Demetri Kaffinus, and you're listening to Hidden Forces, a podcast that inspires investors,

0:09.0

entrepreneurs and everyday citizens, the challenge consensus narratives, and learn how to think critically

0:16.0

about the systems of power shaping our world.

0:19.0

My guest in this episode is Joseph Tarigia, an expert in the politics of authoritarian regimes

0:25.1

with a specific focus on elite power struggles, civil-military relations, and grand strategy,

0:31.0

especially as they pertain to China and the Chinese Communist Party.

0:35.4

He is also the author of a widely talked about new book that has captivated the attention

0:40.2

of China scholars and the China policymaking community, titled The Party's Interests

0:45.0

Come First.

0:46.4

The book is fundamentally a political biography and historical analysis focused on Xi Zheng

0:52.0

Shun, father of Xi Jinping, a current leader of China and the head

0:56.6

of the Chinese Communist Party. In the first hour, Tarigian and I traced the evolution,

1:02.1

internal contradictions, and complex dynamics of political power and succession within the CCP,

1:08.5

revealing the critical role that personal networks, ideological discipline,

1:12.9

factional struggle, and narrative have played in shaping Chinese political history and culture.

1:18.7

We explore several key periods in Chinese Communist Party history, including Mount Se Deng's

1:23.9

Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, the period of reform and opening up

1:28.4

under Deng Xiaoping, and the post-Tianaman period following the 1989 crackdown.

1:34.4

In the second hour, our conversation focuses on the current leader of China, Xi Jinping,

1:39.8

and the political lessons he has drawn from the struggles endured by his father

1:43.3

and how those

...

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