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Author of popular books about Chinese leaders calls China president 'very honorable and visionary kind of person'

Robert Lawrence Kuhn, author of popular books about Chinese leaders, said Chinese President Xi Jinping is someone Americans can trust.

Kuhn described Xi as a "very honorable and visionary kind of person", and said there won't be any deception about what Xi says, even for people who disagree with him.

"I think that's very clear," Kuhn told China Daily.

Kuhn met Xi in early February 2005, when Xi was the Party secretary of East China's Zhejiang province. Kuhn was trying to understand entrepreneurship and the Zhejiang model while doing research for what became his later book: How China's Leaders Think: The Inside Story of China's Past, Current and Future Leaders.

Zhejiang has long been known for its booming private enterprises and strong entrepreneurship among local people.

At that time, Kuhn just published his first book about Chinese leaders, titled The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin.

He recalled that when he gave a copy of the book to Xi, Xi immediately took it, opened it to one section of photographs and pointed to a photo of Jiang and several women in army uniform who were singing.

"He asked, 'Do you know who this is?' Of course I said 'no'. He said, 'That's my wife," Kuhn recalled. Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, had been a famous singer in China long before Xi became a national leader.

Kuhn remembered well that Xi used the analogue of blind men and an elephant to tell him that he should get out more because if you are in Beijing, you just feel one part of China and if you are in Gansu, you will see something else.

Kuhn also recalled that Xi said that "China accomplished a lot and we should be very proud of what we have done, but we should not be overly proud, we should recognize we have more to do and China has a long way to go."

Kuhn felt struck later after Xi became the general secretary of the Communist Party of China, and said the same thing.

While some Westerners believe Xi said something like "making empty talk is harmful to the nation" just to impress people after becoming Party leader, Kuhn said Xi told him the same thing six years earlier.

To Kuhn, a brain scientist and an investment banker for most of his career, Chinese leaders like Xi are much better trained and prepared to become national leaders than their American counterparts.

Most of the seven Party Politburo standing committee members have run more than two provinces before joining the nation's top decision-making body.

"Each province is like a big European country, so they have huge experience of running stuff," Kuhn said.

In general, Chinese leaders at the top are far better than their American counterparts, according to Kuhn. He, however, noted that the openness of the US system makes for a very good system of checks and balance.

Kuhn referred to the perception of China by many Westerners as "simplistic". He described the ongoing reforms in China as the most significant in Chinese history.

"Now people don't appreciate that because it's going to take years to implement," he said, citing the drastic judicial reform that will hold judges much more accountable for their actions.

Kuhn praised China's Belt-Road initiative to develop connectivity in the region as original and proactive foreign policy.

While Kuhn argues that a one-party system is optimal for China today, he also stressed the importance of enhancing transparency in governance, public oversight of government, rule of law, increasing democracy, various freedoms and human rights.

He has been a promoter of the four-pronged Comprehensive Strategy, a list of political goals for China unveiled by Xi early this year.

The strategy includes comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, comprehensively deepening reform, comprehensively governing the nation according to law and comprehensively strictly governing the Party, Kuhn explained to BBC viewers during a recent interview.

chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com