China’s rise is reshaping the global economy and international relations. At the same time, Chinese domestic politics, governance systems and economic policy are undergoing significant churn. All of this is happening at a time when the Communist Party is increasingly tightening controls over access, information, academia, the media, the Internet and society in general. In other words, on one hand, it has never been more important to understand the objectives of the Communist Party of China, the structures of power, governance and policymaking in the country and the incentives and drivers that shape policymakers’ actions and policy implementation. On the other hand, with increasing systemic opacity, it is increasingly becoming more challenging to do so.

Watching China is an all-virtual course that is specially designed to equip those aspiring to study and analyse China’s domestic and foreign policies with the skills that are essential to engage in such a task. The course provides an introduction to the philosophy, structures and processes of the Leninist Party-state, discusses the role of ideology, equips students with an understanding of analytical frameworks and familiarises them with the language of Communist Party discourse along with the open source documentation ecosystem.

The course design makes it accessible to and useful for a range of individuals, including professionals dealing with strategic affairs, journalists, students of political science and international affairs along with individuals working in China or with Chinese enterprises and even those who are simply interested to learn more about the country.