Naoko Eto

Professor, Department of Political Science, Gakushuin University

Naoko Eto is a professor at the Department of Political Science of Gakushuin University. Her main research interests include contemporary Chinese politics and Japan-China relations. Before taking up her current position, she was an associate senior research fellow at the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO) and a research fellow at the Center for Area Studies, National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU). She holds an MA in international policy studies from Stanford University and a PhD in political science from Keio University. She was also a visiting research fellow at the School of International Studies, Peking University (2004–2005) and the East Asian Institute, Singapore National University (2019– 2020).

Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok, Thailand, 19 November 2022. Xi is being framed as a political leader who develops Marxism according to the changing times based on Maoism. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Connecting past, present and future: Xi Jinping’s logic of governance and legitimacy in his third term

Japanese academic Naoko Eto scrutinises changes to the Chinese Communist Party’s constitution and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s report to the 20th Party Congress for signs of Xi’s likely governing tenets in his third term.
China's President Xi Jinping waves following his speech after a ceremony to inaugurate the city's new leader and government in Hong Kong, China, 1 July 2022, on the 25th anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to China. (Selim Chtayti/Reuters)

Japanese academic: Ukraine crisis opportunity for China to restructure international order

Japanese academic Naoko Eto notes that China has been strengthening its diplomatic forays in the security realm to gain greater global influence amid the ongoing Covid pandemic and Ukraine war. The Global Security Initiative (GSI) launched in April is a major vehicle in this endeavour. While the security track will not be an easy route to take, President Xi's plans for restructuring the international order with developing countries' buy-in bears watching.