To figure out what will change under a different framework for leadership succession, it is important to cut through the authorities’ opaque rhetoric – the “moderately well-off society” transitioning into the “new era” – and stress-test their basic development strategy.

The spontaneous applause that arose when Wang Qishan, the country's chief graft buster, appeared in front of the ballot box showed the high expectations placed on the fight against corruption.

China now has a fiercely effective group of elites running the country with an unprecedented ability to cut through red tape and enact policy rapidly. For better or worse, their vision for the future will be put in place more rapidly and efficiently than before, and this could mean many years of efficient and coherent governing ahead.

China’s National People’s Congress was held last week, with few surprises. Most of the reforms laid out are extensions of existing or previously announced policies, including supply-side structural reform, reduced barriers to foreign investment, promotion of innovation, and enhanced military spending. Dominating the congress, however, was a proceeding not contained in the work report: the removal of term limits from the nation’s constitution.

Centralised authority and power are absolutely essential for overcoming the opposition of the local governments and the private moneyed interests and pushing forward the economic reform agenda in China.

Whilst China is appreciating the benefits of free competition, the West seems to have forgotten them.

China has evolved from repressing women to emancipating them.

Today the PRC’s middle class is thought to number about 430 million, larger than America’s entire population. As this number grows so will China’s buying power, offering one possible antidote to the Trump administration’s trade complaints.

To the extent that it raises living standards, the “China Model” fulfills some requirements of political legitimacy. But, once those living standards reach a certain level, the Chinese people will almost certainly demand more personal freedom and political accountability.

Much of China's future progress will depend on what happens in the countryside.