Membership of the Chinese Communist Party has just exceeded 100 million. It has long been the largest political party in world history.

When Prime Minister Albanese meets President Xi Jinping, he is not only meeting the head of the second largest economy in the world in nominal dollars, and by far the largest in purchasing power parity terms, but also the head of the biggest political party the world has ever seen. This matters.

The Chinese system is organised as a diarchy, with each level of government represented by a state official and, at a higher level, by a communist party official. Xi is both President and General Secretary of the Party.

Xi will come to the meeting with a raft of matters he wants to discuss: promoting good relations between the countries, expanding economic co-operation, especially in light of the uncertainty and trade protection created by the Trump administration, an interest in deepening people-to-people contacts, especially student and scientific exchanges and cultural activities. Xi may also raise what the Chinese side views as Australia’s provocative actions in the South China Sea and Straits of Taiwan, and its zero-sum competition in the Pacific.

As party leader, Xi will, however, be more concerned with how China is perceived by the region and the wider world. His principal objective is to make the world safe for the Communist Party to continue to rule. He will seek reassurances on the legitimacy of the party’s rule, including acknowledgement of recognition of Beijing’s claims over Taiwan (this, of course, does not mean endorsement, although Xi would love to hear that).

Xi will also have many........

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