Li Ling

Lecturer, Department of East Asian Studies, University of Vienna

LI Ling teaches Chinese politics and law at the University of Vienna. Previously, she had worked at various research institutions in Europe and the US. Her current research interest is the constitutional structure of the Chinese party-state and the operation of the Chinese Communist Party and its apparatus. She has published extensively on the operation of the Chinese legal system, corruption as well as anti-corruption in China. She is currently writing a book on the politics of corruption in China, which will be published by the Cambridge University Press in early 2023.

Chinese President Xi Jinping gestures after the 29th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM) during the APEC 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, 18 November 2022. (Rungroj Yongrit/Pool via Reuters)
Politics

The Real Xi: Reflections on the 20th Party Congress

By Li Ling 01 Dec 2022
Vienna-based Li Ling observes that while it seems that Chinese President Xi Jinping has removed all obstacles to his rule, actually the outcomes of the 20th Party Congress has shown another side of him: a level-headed and even disciplined man who can act in a measured and controlled fashion. Being able to show restraint while holding on to great power will be a delicate balance that one has to strike in Xi’s “new era”.
Visitors walk by images of Chinese President Xi Jinping displayed at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, China, 11 November 2021. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)
Politics

Autumn succession: The main plot line of the 20th Party Congress

By Li Ling 19 May 2022
Vienna-based academic Li Ling gives a primer on four principles regulating the nominations of membership of the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), the highest decision-making body of the Chinese Communist Party. Nothing is for certain until the curtain rises on the 20th Party Congress this autumn, but a closer look at these principles could help to narrow the field.