When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently hosted Lu Wei, head of the State Internet Information Office, in his office, Lu found a copy of Chinese President Xi Jinping's book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China on the billionaire's desk. Zuckerberg told Lu that he had also bought copies of the book for his colleagues to aid understanding of "socialism with Chinese characteristics." After the news went viral, a few Western mainstream media outlets poured scorn upon Zuckerberg, accusing him of "kowtowing" to Beijing. But such Western public disapproval astonished the Chinese public.

According to the Foreign Languages Press, since the release of The Governance of China in October, overseas publishers have bought approximately 260,000 copies, a record for works written by Chinese leaders in recent years. Many Western elites are reading this book and they have an unprecedented interest in understanding the governance philosophy of Chinese leaders. Zuckerberg is just a representative of this  group.

A rapidly developing China has influenced the world, and Xi has exerted a significant effect on the process of comprehensively deepening China's reform. Studying The Governance of China will play a weighty role in the reading and thinking of global elites in the coming years.

Those in the Western media who pointed fingers at Zuckerberg appear narrow-minded. Biographies and books by Western leaders are popular in China. Western society has been undermined by a lack of confidence, which affects the fundamental principles of understanding the outside world held by some elites. In the past, we perceived that prejudice against China was a result of different values. But now we suspect that it's because the Western elites are so sensitive and cowardly that they refuse to face reality.

In a wide range of fields, from the path of national development to Internet freedom, some Western elites may have recognized their misperceptions about China. Their pessimistic predictions about China's prospects contradict the reality. But they are emotionally wedded to their opinions, hoping their forecasts would eventually come true. Of course, not all Western elites are so muddled. Perhaps media elites are the most ideology-prone.

There is much antagonism against China in the Western media, and it remains to be seen how this relates to the China polices of the Western powers.

The popularity of The Governance of China abroad symbolizes a new milestone in communication and mutual understanding between China and the outside world.

The book gives the most authoritative and accurate clarification of China's reform and opening up, as well as the country's main foreign policies, which is of irreplaceable significance to understanding the style of the Chinese leadership.