Beijingology 2.0:bridging the “art” and “science” of China watching in Xi Jinping’s new era

In Xi Jinping’s China, the top leadership is getting even more closed, whereas their decisions carry ever more global weight. Ahead of the Chinese Communist Party’s highly important 20th National Congress to be held in the late autumn of 2022, the eyes of the global Intelligence Community are turning to Beijing. How to divine what exactly is going on in the black box of Chinese elite politics at this sensitive moment? This is the million-dollar-question facing analysts of Chinese politics. We argue that there is a gap asking to be bridged between the “art” and “science” of reading Chinese elite politics, or between on the one hand, the traditional Beijingology, and on the other hand, purely academically relevant research. There is a pressing need for a “Beijingology 2.0,” combining the traditional art of the China hands with the most innovative methods and tools derived from social science research into elite studies and text analysis, respectively.