Window on China for the West

A collection of Xi Jinping's speeches and articles introduces readers to the governing philosophy of China's leadership

I visited China for the first time in 1975. Since then, great changes have taken place in China's governance and diplomacy. During my visits to China over the past decades, my admiration for the country and its 5,000-year civilization has increased. The book, Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, which has just been translated into many languages, is an inspirational piece of work.

I met Mr Xi for the first time in Beijing in May 2012. Six months later, in November 2012, he was elected general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Through my observations of his two years in office, I have come to a more profound realization that during the past 40 years significant changes have taken place in the interests, concerns and perspectives of China's leading statesmen. They have, nonetheless, adhered to the country's traditions of governance and diplomacy.