As Xi Jinping begins his historic third term in office, many will try to understand Xi as both person and leader. This book examines Xi Jinping from his childhood during China’s Cultural Revolution all the way through his second term as China’s paramount leader. The author analyzes not only Xi Jinping’s life and leadership but also Western perceptions, assessments, and interpretations of Xi and how this has affected China’s dynamic relationship with the West. It will trace how early and mostly optimistic expectations gave way first to denial or attempts to explain away his consolidation of power and then reshaped into the assessment of a new China under a powerful Xi. The book gives special attention to the vital US–China relationship and the dynamics between Xi and the US leadership.